My New, Unexpected Life After The Terrorist Attack
by Iridescent Bellisle Cullen
Summary: This is a renewed version of both Saved From Terror By An Angel and My New, Unexpected Life. I am combining and changing them. It is about what happens on 9/11, before and after Carlisle rescues Bella from the collapsing North Tower of the World Trade Center and takes her in. Their instant attraction to each other turns into love, which has to be kept secret to the outside world.
1. Prologue

(A/N: As you can see, I am renewing and combining Saved From Terror By An Angel and My New, Unexpected Life. I mentioned in the last chapters of both stories that I was. Plus, I am going to change a lot of things. Read the original stories to find out what they are about. Rated M for language and future lemons! I hope that you like this version! And remember: I do not own Twilight. No flames, please. Thank you! Enjoy and **please review! **This is just the prologue...)

Two days before my seventeenth birthday, I was rescued by an angel, who would eventually turn out to be the love of my life, on September 11, 2001. Without him, I would not be here to tell the tale.

This is the story of what happened on that fateful day and afterwards. The day that altered the course of American history, but most importantly, my life.


	2. Chapter 1: Attacked!

(A/N: Rated M for language. Oh, and if you click on the story's picture, you will see the name of an actual street that's in the city I live in LOL.)

**Bella's POV**

_Tuesday, September 11, 2001-6:30am_

My alarm clock rang and I drowsily tapped the snooze button before getting out of bed. I picked my clothes up off of my chair and headed for the bathroom.

I am sorry. I haven't really introduced myself. My name is Isabella Marie Swan, but I prefer to be called Bella. I lived with my mother Renée and my new stepfather Phil in the Brooklyn section of New York City. I have lived here since I was six.

My father Charlie also lived here, two blocks away from my house. He used to reside in his hometown, Forks, Washington, a place that is nearly always cloudy. I was born in Forks just like him. However, Mom left him when I was three months old and we moved to California. We stayed there before coming to New York.

I used to go to Forks every summer since I was one to visit Charlie. But because I didn't like it there very much-I hated rainy and cool/cold weather-he had started to visit me here in New York City when I was seven. When I was twelve, he decided to live here permanently. Or at least until I turn eighteen next year. I spent every weekend with him now.

When I visited Charlie, neither of us did much. We often stayed in the house. He would take me to Radio City or a nice diner every once in a while. Sometimes he would even take me to the Apollo.

Life with my family was not difficult, but sometimes a little too exciting. Phil and I often had to prevent my harebrained mother from doing half of the things that she wanted to do or thought of doing. We both knew that the results of her plans were unlikely to turn out good. Before Mom met him when I was fifteen, and after Grandma Marie (her mother) died when I was eight, I had to keep her out of trouble all by myself.

I did not have to put up with a lot of drama other than that. I usually kept to myself at home, reading or writing stories if I wasn't doing my homework. I watched television or played games sometimes. Occasionally, I would have dinner with Mom and Phil when they were at home from their jobs. They both worked as interpreters at the World Trade Center's North Tower. They were fluent in many languages, Spanish, French, Italian, Arabic, and Hindustani to name a few. I could speak or understand every one that they knew because they would give me lessons. They made hefty sum of money, so we were pretty rich.

Charlie also worked in the North Tower as the Head Security Officer. Mom and Phil were unsure of how they felt about that. I think that they both knew that Charlie still loved her (Mom), but since he never bothered her, they set aside their doubts. Charlie never caused any trouble, though. Like me, he was quiet and preferred to be alone.

Anyway, let's continue with the story.

Once I had taken my shower and had gotten dressed, I went downstairs to make breakfast. I had learned to cook by the time I was eleven. It was quite necessary to because Mom was not a good cook, and it turned out that Phil wasn't either. Besides, they were usually too busy with their work to cook very often. So, I took the task of preparing our meals.

As I was cooking, I gazed out of the window. The sun was shining brightly and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. The birds chirped in the dogwood tree outside of the house. It was the kind of day where nothing could go wrong.

I heard Mom and Phil coming just as I had finished cooking. I brought the food to the dining room, where they were sitting.

"Hi honey," Mom greeted brightly as I set her plate in front of her.

"Good morning, Bella," Phil chimed in.

I smiled at them. "Morning, Mom. Morning, Phil," I replied.

We started on our meal. I had to eat quickly because I had to be at school-which is called Clearview High-by eight fifteen.

"So," Mom began, jerking me from my thoughts. "Isn't it someone's birthday in about two days?"

Turning red, I piped up wearily, "Yeah. Mine."

"Aww, come on, Bella! Where's your enthusiasm? Is there anything in particular that you want? Anywhere special you want to go?"

"No. I don't want you to waste your money on me."

Mom looked slightly crestfallen, and I felt guilty. "Are you sure? There must be _something_."

I sighed. "Well, I guess I'll think about it and see if there is."

She grinned. "Okay. Just let me know."

After I had finished my cereal, I put on my denim jacket and grabbed my lavender backpack. "Bye Mom, Phil. I'll see you when you get home," I announced, giving them a kiss and a hug.

"Good-bye, Bella. I love you," they both murmured.

"Love you too," I whispered in return.

Then I left the house and waited for the bus on the corner. After it arrived, I paid the fare and sat in the first available seat that I noticed.

On the way to my destination, my only friend Gabrielle Watson climbed on the bus. We had known each other since the beginning of middle school. She had a lot of things in common with me. She was just as introverted as I was, but we still had plenty of fun. One of the only differences was that she insisted on being called her full name. She hated to be called Gab or Gabby. The other difference was that she had a younger brother, whereas I was an only child.

"Hi Gabrielle," I declared.

She beamed at me. "Hey, Bella. What's up? How are you?" she inquired, sitting next to me.

"I'm fine, and nothing much. What about you?"

"Pretty much the same. Have you planned anything for your birthday yet?"

I shook my head. "No, not yet."

"Oh. I hope you do soon. Hey. Why don't we go roller skating?"

All I could do was laugh skeptically. "Are you kidding? I'd break both of my legs as klutzy as I am!"

Gabrielle made a face. "Yeah, you're probably right about that. Never mind."

We discussed more ideas until the bus stopped in front of Clearview High on Southeast Eleventh Avenue. In the end, we decided to go to Dave and Buster's, a place that was like a giant arcade and game room. I was least likely to get into an accident there. The worst thing that could happen to me was being hit in the head with an air hockey disc.

Unfortunately, I was incredibly clumsy as well as a magnet for bad luck and danger. I ended up in the hospital more often than not as a result of this.

Because Gabrielle and I had arrived at the school early, we had to wait in the cafeteria until eight fifteen. We made it to our first class, which was English, two minutes before the bell rang.

Our teacher, Miss Jones, was the only person there. She was very strict and always ruined everybody's piece of mind. She would consider you late if you came to class after the first bell...and not after the second one. Gabrielle said that "if her boyfriend David was screwing her properly, she wouldn't have such a huge pole up her ass." Perhaps she was right about that, but it still amazed me that she said it.

The other students arrived a moment later. Miss Jones stood after the bell rang.

"Morning, class," she proclaimed, looking uptight as usual. I never saw her express any other emotion yet. It seemed like she didn't know how to smile either.

"Good morning," a few of us responded.

She took a stack of papers out of her valise. "I thought we could start the day with a pop quiz."

Nearly everyone groaned in annoyance, mostly the guys. I did not blame them at all.

Luckily, the quiz was on the first chapter of the book that we were reading-_Hamlet_, by William Shakespeare. I had read the whole play already, so I found it easy. Some of my other classmates appeared to have more trouble answering the questions.

On the whole, it took nearly a half an hour for the class to finish the test. Miss Jones collected them and told us to start reading chapter two of the book.

I had just opened mine when I heard a distant BOOM, but I didn't think anything of it. To me, it was just one of many sounds of the city. It was probably a car accident or something. There were a good number of them here.

Five minutes later, the silence was disturbed by someone knocking on the door frantically. Miss Jones answered it. "Yes?" she queried.

I turned to see her speaking to another teacher. I watched as her expression changed from confusion to horror.

"Oh, my God," she breathed. "Are you serious?"

The other teacher nodded with tears in her eyes.

Miss Jones covered her mouth.

"The principal told us that we are to send the students home. Get them to call their parents," the other teacher whispered.

"I will. Thank you," Miss Jones said quietly. She closed the door and stood in front of the classroom again. "May I have your attention, please! I have an important announcement to make!"

Everybody else looked up.

She fidgeted, and it made feel seriously worried. What the hell was going on?"

I listened as she cleared her throat. "I am afraid that I have some very terrible news. An American Airlines plane, called Flight 11, crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower five minutes ago, at 8:46..."

"W-WHAT?!" I gasped, the blood draining from my face. Gabrielle's expression mirrored my own.

"Yes," Miss Jones confirmed. "It turns out that the plane was hijacked along with another American Airlines plane early this morning. Two United Airlines planes were also. Because of what happened, we are dismissing you and the rest of the students as a precaution. The seniors are going home right now, but everyone else has to go to the cafeteria to wait for their parents. For those of you who do not have cell phones, I advise you to go the main office and call them from there. Hurry up and pack your things. There will be no homework."

As I put my books in my bag, my mind raced in fear. Mom, Charlie, and Phil would have been in the North Tower by now. Were they okay? Or did the airplane crash into one of their sections of the building? Charlie's office was in the lower middle portion, and Mom and Phil worked ten floors higher.

Gabrielle and I headed to the cafeteria together. She was talking, but I was too distraught to pay attention to her. I took out my phone to call Mom as we sat down in the aforementioned room.

The phone rang, but she didn't answer. I hung up and called Charlie next, then Phil. They didn't pick up their phones either.

"Do you think that your parents and Phil had gotten hurt or...?" Gabrielle was asking, not completing her question.

"No," I replied, but inwardly, I wondered if they had. But to comfort myself, I added, "I don't think so. Their phones would have gone straight to voicemail if something had happened to them."

She reflected on that. "Yeah. That's true."

I continued to call them over the next several minutes, but they still didn't answer. I felt a panic attack coming, but I fought against it. I was too stressed out to just wait here and do nothing. I needed to find them to make sure that they were all right. The last thing that I wanted was to be told that there was no one to pick me up. Or worse, that I didn't have a mother, father, or stepfather anymore. I didn't know _what_ I would do if that happened.

I stood. "Gabrielle, I need to use the bathroom. I'll be right back," I remarked.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, but thanks."

"Okay. I'll let you know if they call your name on the loudspeaker."

"Thanks again."

However, the bathroom was not my destination. I just rushed passed it and went downstairs. It was easy to sneak out of the front door. The staff was too engrossed about the plane crash and the hijackers to notice me.

I feel guilty about lying to Gabrielle. But if I told her about what I planned to do, she wouldn't hesitate to stop me. Nevertheless, she wouldn't understand my need to find Mom, Charlie, and Phil. I wouldn't have anybody if they...if something happened to them. Besides, her parents didn't work at the World Trade Center. She didn't have to be as concerned for them as I did for mine.

Exhaling deeply, I walked around the corner to the 59 and 74 bus stop. Either one would take me to Manhattan.

From here, I could see the smoke billowing out of the top section of the North Tower. This was NOT good at all, but at least the plane didn't collide into the middle of the building. I felt a little relieved about that.

When I turned to look at the North Tower again, I saw an airplane flying towards the city. It swooped low, leveled out, and then-BOOM! It crashed into the South Tower.

NO! Oh, my God, _what was going on_?! **_W_**_**hy** was this happening?!_

I trembled as I glanced up the street, wishing that the bus would just hurry the hell up. I really needed to get to Manhattan before another catastrophe occurred. I had to find Mom, Charlie, and Phil before something happened to _them_! I _had_ to!

(A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW!** I am sure that you notice a couple of changes, but I hope that you like/don't mind them. But it won't be until chapter four when everything will be quite noticeably different. Wait and see :)

Oh, and by the way, I now have my EMT certification. All of the studying and hard work paid off. I also have my CNA certification and driver's license. I earned all three in a four month period!)


	3. Chapter 2: The Hijackers & The Girl

(A/N: There are more changes in this chapter, but it's mostly the same. I hope that you enjoy it.)

**Carlisle's POV**

My name is Carlisle Cullen. I was born in London, England in the year 1640. My mother, Hannah, died after she gave birth to me, so I spent the next twenty years living with my father Benjamin. Even though I never knew my mother, I missed her very much. I missed her presence. I also hated that I never had the chance to get to know her. Sometimes, when Father wasn't looking, I would stare at her portrait for hours. The only thing that I inherited from her was her blue eyes. Other than that, I almost completely resembled my father, except that he had gray eyes.

Father, who was an Anglican pastor, had brought me up according to the ways of God and the Bible. By the time I was sixteen, I knew everything else there was to know about them. I could even recite all of the Scriptures by heart. He also told me about hunting in raids for vampires, werewolves, and witches, claiming that they were one of the main factors that brought evil and corruption to the world.

When I was twenty-three, I became a pastor in Father's church. In addition to that, he put me in charge of the raids, for he was becoming too old to lead them himself.

Unfortunately, my first raid had ended in a shambles, so to speak. Unlike my father, I knew that the vampires hid in the London sewers. When we went to confront them, one of them bit me on the neck and murdered the others. I crawled into a vegetable cellar as the venom spread through my body and hid there.

For three nights, I was in pain. Excruciating, unendurable pain. Thankfully, I was somehow able to keep the screams that threatened to tear through my mouth at bay.

After the transformation, I knew that if my father saw me and knew what I had become, he would have had me killed. I gathered whatever clothes I had from my house. Then I ran away to the country. I wanted to be as far away from humans as possible, for I did not intend to become a murderer. I never wanted to kill anyone-I would rather help people when they needed it-even if it was necessary to drink their blood to keep myself alive.

Of course, I realized that starving myself wouldn't kill me at all. Over the next three months, I went through a period of self-loathing because of what I had become. I attempted suicide in many ways, such as throwing myself off of a cliff and drowning myself, to name a couple of them. I soon found out that it was not easy to destroy yourself if you were a vampire. But it was what I wanted. I couldn't live with myself, knowing that just being a vampire labeled me a murderer. I wanted to die. I _deserved_ to.

By the end of the third month, I was greatly weakened from thirst. I became so thirsty in fact, that late one evening while I was wandering in the woods, I attacked a herd of deer that was passing by. The smell of their blood made my throat burn more then ever, and I was desperate for relief.

As I drank the deer's blood, I felt my strength returning to me. The burning in my throat lessened into nothing.

No one could imagine my joy when I discovered that I didn't have to drink human's blood to survive. I thought, If I can survive on animals' blood, then I wouldn't be a killer at all. I can be different. Then I whooped and screamed and shouted praises to the heavens. Which was rather unlike myself; I normally had a very tranquil disposition. But I was so ecstatic that I couldn't keep my happiness inside me.

From there, I swam to France, where the next stage of my life began. Remembering my ambitions to help people, I studied the arts. However, I could only study at night because it was too dangerous for me to go out during the daytime. My skin sparkled whenever the sun shone on me.

Eventually, my studies led me to Volterra, Italy, where I later met a trio of vampires known as Volturi Kings. Their names were Aro, Caius, and Marcus. They had more civility than other vampires, but they still drank the blood of humans. We tried to convert each other into our individual lifestyles, but it didn't work. After twenty years, I left them.

In the 1900s, I traveled to the United States of America and made my way to Chicago. In 1918, I met seventeen-year-old Edward Anthony Masen Jr., my future adopted son, who was dying of Spanish Influenza.

His father had already died hours before. Elizabeth, Edward's mother, begged me to change him. Somehow, she had found out what I was.

After she died a few minutes later, I granted her wish. I took Edward to the apartment that I lived in and changed him. After the transformation, I quickly found out that he could read minds when he answered questions I had not even voiced yet.

I was glad that I finally had a companion. The past two hundred plus years had been very lonely.

Together, Edward and I went Wisconsin, where I took a job at another hospital. While there, I encountered Esme Anne Platt, a woman who had attempted suicide by jumping off a cliff. She later told me that she did it because she couldn't bear to live after her son died only a few days after his birth. Because the other doctors thought she was dead, she was immediately sent to the morgue. But I had heard her faint heartbeat.

When I saw her, I immediately recognized her. I had treated her ten years ago, when she was seven years old. She had broken her leg after falling out of a tree.

Now, when I went to the morgue to check on her, I saw that the bones in most of her extrimities had been crushed. Also, she had several broken ribs and numerous bruises. I knew that she wouldn't survive for much longer, so after much thought, I changed her too.

After injecting the venom into her, I brought her to my house. Edward was spellbound as soon as he laid eyes on her. Once Esme had awakened from her transformation, she was captivated by him as well. It was then I understood that they were mates. Aro had told me once how vampires become instantly bonded when they found their true other half. In the middle of the next year, 1922, Edward and Esme were married.

Eleven years later, we moved to Rochester, New York. Instead of Edward and Esme posing as my adopted son and daughter, we gave people the impression that we were all siblings. I worked nights in a hospital there as I did everywhere else. But neither Edward, Esme, or I mixed with society. We didn't want to draw too much attention to ourselves.

One night in December, as I was taking a walk, I could smell the scent of human blood on the wind. By now, I was almost immune to it, so it did not call to me like it did most vampires, except my family half of the time. They still had some trouble following what I call my "vegetarian" diet. However, no matter how many mistakes they had made, I still loved them and never became too angry with them.

Nevertheless, I followed the trail of this scent. Someone may have gotten hurt.

Surely enough, I found young Rosalie Hale lying in a pool of blood. She was nearly dead. Her father was a prominent banker and her family was the wealthiest in town. Which was saying something because the country was in the middle of the Great Depression. Without thinking, I took her to my home at the edge of the town and changed her.

When she realized what I had done to her after her transformation, Rosalie was furious with me. She did not want to be saved from death, and I had ruined the chance for her to have children. To grow old. To have all of the possibilities a human life could give her.

She only became more enraged when I explained to her that I changed her so that her life would not be wasted at such a young age. She was only eighteen after all. Rosalie would hear none of this, and even though she agreed to live with me and my family, she did not speak to me for a month.

Gradually, she opened up to me and accepted me as her father. She began to tell me stories about what her life was like before her transformation. Surprisingly, she remembered it more than I remembered my own human life. She also told me why she was laying in the street the night I changed her. Her ex-fiance, Royce King II, and a group of his friends had gang-raped her and left her for dead. She told me that she had gotten her revenge on them after she became a vampire. This explained her five-day absence from that time.

Two years later, when we were living in Tennesee, Rosalie came to me with a man who looked to be around the age of twenty. He had been mauled by a bear in the woods, and she wanted me to change him to spare his life, although she didn't tell me why. I agreed to it, however, and did as she wished.

Once the man woke up from his transformation, he identified himself as Emmett McCarty. He was indeed twenty years old, and had lived in the town of Gatlinburg.

Emmett adjusted to our vegetarian lifestyle quickly, with only two or three accidents. In fact, he felt no resentment towards me at all for changing him into a vampire, unlike the others. So, it wasn't hard for him to see me as his father.

It did not take long for me to notice that Emmett was spending almost all of his time with Rosalie. They went on hunting trips together...alone, I may add. It did not bother me much because after a while, they discovered that they were each other's mate, and they got married six months later.

In 1941, we moved to Hoquiam, Washington. The cloudy weather allowed us to stay out during the day, as our skin did not sparkle. One evening, while everyone except Esme were hunting, we came across werewolves that turned into Native American men. They introduced themselves as the Quileute Indians from the La Push reservation. The leader of the pack, Ephraim Black, told us that they did not take kindly to us hunting on their lands. If I had not stepped up, the situation would have ended badly for me and my family. Eventually, we formed a treaty and set up a boundary line. As long as we didn't cross that line, or bite a human, they wouldn't reveal to the humans that we were vampires. After everything was settled, my family and I relocated to Forks, another town in Washington that wasn't very far from Hoquiam.

Nine years later, we encountered two nomadic vampires named Jasper Lee Whitlock and his mate Alice. As soon as Alice saw me, I had the feeling that she already knew who I was, even though we had never met. Soon, she told me that she had visions of our family and where we were. That was how she found us, which explained how she knew me.

Alice fit into our family like a glove. Jasper took a longer time getting accustomed to our lifestyle than she or any other member of the family had. Before he had found Alice, Jasper had been a part of the southern vampire wars since the middle of the Civil War, when he was a major in the Confederate Army. He had fed off of many humans, but since he could feel everything his victims could (he was pathokinetic), this began to depress him. He was eager to try a new way of life. Sadly, he had problems controlling his bloodlust.

Throughout the years, my family and I traveled to most of the northern states and Canada. We never stayed in the same area for long to keep ourselves from drawing too much attention. Sometimes, we lived together and at others we didn't. Each couple wanted time to themselves, so for months at a time, I was alone. However, there were times when Edward and Esme, Alice and Jasper, or Emmett and Rosalie would allow me to stay with them so that I could have some company.

I was happier when all of us lived together at the same time. However, I was often a little envious of my children because they had mates and I did not. Edward, Jasper, and Rosalie understood how lonely I felt and sympathized with me. In fact, I was beginning to think that I would never meet my one true mate.

Until that special day, when the terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center.

_September 11, 2001-7:50 am_

I was sitting in my armchair by the fireplace in my living room working on something on my laptop. The curtains blocked out the sunshine. My children, who were staying with me, were in their bedrooms doing I-didn't-know-what-and-didn't-care.

We have been living here in the upper Manhattan section of New York City for six years now. We resided in a five-bedroom mansion that on a road where only few people lived. However, we never spoke to the neighbors that we did have. It was too risky to mingle with anyone. We would stay here until we moved to Denali, Alaska in mid-January.

I worked five nights a week at Lenox Hill Hospital. All of my children took night classes at City College of New York. During the day, we rarely left the house unless it was cloudy. On the weekends we when took hunting trips.

I was finishing up needed to do on my laptop at the moment. I was reaching for a novel on my bookshelf when Alice drifted into the room with a fearful expression, followed by Jasper. I was instantly concerned, for Alice was usually a very happy and lively person.

"What is wrong, my dear?" I queried.

Her eyes moved back and forth, not seeing me even though she was peering at me. She was having one of her psychic visions.

"Carlisle, it's...it's terrible! Some people are planning to hijack four airplanes. Two American Airlines flights and two United Airlines planes!" she exclaimed.

The others appeared as soon as she told me this. All of their expressions were fraught with alarm.

"What?" Esme gasped.

I stared at Alice in dismay. "When do they plan to do this?"

Unshed tears well up in her eyes. "Now. One of the American Airlines, Flight 11, took off a minute ago from Boston. Another one from Boston, United Airlines Flight 175, is leaving at 8:14! And American Airlines Flight 77 is due leave Virginia's Washington Dulles Airport at 8:20 and United Airlines Flight 93 is leaving Newark at 8:42. It's all part of a terrorist scheme on America." Alice leaned into Jasper. "All of those poor people! I'm so scared of what could happen to them!" she sobbed.

Jasper embraced her tightly as she cried into his shoulder. "Shhh, darlin'," he whispered, sending waves of calm and comfort to her.

I was quiet, absorbing the news that Alice had brought us. What a horrible ordeal those poor, non-suspecting people were about to face. In some way, I wish I could help them all, but I knew that it was hopeless.

For a short while, none of us moved. We just stood in the same spot as the minutes ticked away. Alice would stiffen at times, searching through her visions.

"Oh, my God," Alice murmured at 8:23. "The hijackers on Flight 11 and Flight 175 are stabbing the pilots to death. They're terrorizing the other passengers with mace, tear gas, and fake bombs. Why is this happening to them? Why doesn't anyone try to stop them?"

"Perhaps someone will. There is hope yet," I tried to assure her, stroking her back.

But of course, I soon found out that there was no hope.

As the minutes passed, Alice became more and more agitated. She grabbed her hair with both fists. She wept, but wouldn't tell us what was going on. Jasper and the rest of the children attempted to settle her down, but to no avail. Meanwhile, we all grew more worried by the second.

Just when I believed that things couldn't get much worse, Alice collapsed.

"NO! NO!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

I didn't have to ask her what she was shouting about, for a moment later, there was a tremendous BOOM nearby in lower Manhattan. And then I heard screams.

I scrambled to the window and threw aside the curtain. The others stood beside me.

The top portion of North Tower's World Trade Center was up in flames and smoke. "Alice! What happened?" I demanded in alarm.

"Flight 11 crashed into that building. The hijackers flew into it on purpose! Everyone in the crash site and in the airplane are dead!" Alice explained, stricken.

Everyone froze but Rosalie, who covered her mouth with her hand.

I was looking out of the window for about eight minutes when Alice suddenly gasped. I turned around to see her not looking puzzled.

"Alice? What is it this time?" I inquired with a scowl.

She blinked. "It's a girl walking in Brooklyn. I can tell by one of the stores. She had just left her school to...to find her parents and her stepfather. She keeps planning to go to the North Tower."

"But why? It's too dangerous to for her to do that!"

Alice paused for a few seconds. "Her parents and stepfather work there. But apparently she knows they aren't dead for some reason. They must not have been working where the plane crashed."

Without knowing the reason for it, I was becoming very interested in this girl. "Where is she now?"

She held up a finger. "She's at a bus stop, waiting for the 59 or the 74. Carlisle...you have to get to her."

"For what?"

"I don't know...but I can't shake the feeling that she's important to us, but mostly to you in some way. However, I'm not sure why at the moment. After all, I've had visions of other people, but none of them stood out. And if she were anyone else, my visions wouldn't be focused on her right now...OH NO!"

Alice pointed out of the window. The rest of us looked where she was indicating.

To the west, I saw an airplane descending rapidly. It swooped, leveled, and then I saw it plunge into the South Tower. Another BOOM echoed across Manhattan, not to mention the yelling. Esme and Rosalie shrieked, and Edward and Emmett uttered an obscenity.

My children and I were rooted to the spot a second time, our mouths agape in horror.

I didn't understand any of this. Why would anyone want to attack the World Trade Center?

What was going to happen next? Would there be another attack on New York City?

_And what is the girl that Alice saw doing now?_ a voice in my head questioned.

((**PLEASE REVIEW!** I will have the next chapter up by next Monday or Tuesday. I'm going to the beach tomorrow and won't be back until Monday. Don't forget to check the story's picture (if you aren't reading this on a phone.) It's an actual street in the city that I live in.))


	4. Chapter 3: Rescue Mission & Catastrophes

**Bella's POV**

_9:10am_

Finally, after waiting for what seemed like hours, the 74 bus rolled down the street. I jumped onto it, paid the fare, and sat down in the back. Out of the window, I saw the security guard from Clearview turn onto the block as the bus pulled away. Whew! I was glad the bus came when it did.

I tried to settle down, knowing that the ride would take about a half an hour or more due to traffic. However, I just couldn't do it. I kept turning to look at the North and South Towers. Smoke was continuing to rise out of both of them. I called Mom, Charlie, and Phil again, but there was still no answer. I started to bite my nails.

The lady in front of me also peered out of the window and shook her head. She looked to be around thirty years old. "I can't believe that those planes were intentionally crashed into those towers. What a gruesome way for those people to die."

"Excuse me?" I gasped in horror, not believing my ears.

The lady swiveled in her seat. "You didn't know that the hijackers _meant_ to fly into the North and South Towers?"

I shook my head, newfound dread welling up inside me. "No. I only knew that they meant to hijack the planes."

"Hmm. No, it isn't likely you would have known," the lady remarked. "You were probably just sent home from school. It's all a part of this terrorist plot on the country. This wouldn't be happening if Bush hadn't caused trouble by sending our troops to the Middle East. The countries they were sent to weren't doing anything to America at all."

I just gazed at her wordlessly.

The lady scowled in wonder. "Where are you heading to anyway? You don't live in Manhattan, do you?" she queried.

I shook my head slowly. "No, I live here in Brooklyn. I have to go to Manhattan to make sure that my parents and stepfather are out of the North Tower," I replied.

"WHAT?! But why would your parents and stepfather be in that building? Do they work there?"

"Yes. My mom and stepfather are interpreters and my dad works as the Head Security Officer."

"Oh. You should just go home. It's not safe to be anywhere near those buildings."

"I know, but I _have_ to find them."

The lady went to grab my arm, but I shifted away from her. I didn't allow most strangers to touch me. "Don't be foolish, child! You could get yourself hurt by risking your life! Go home where you'll be safe!"

Shaking my head again, I said no. "I have to find them," I repeated firmly.

When she realized that I wasn't going to change my mind, the lady sighed in bitter defeat and turned away.

Twenty-five minutes later, at the last bus stop before the Brooklyn Bridge, the lady stood. "Good-bye, child. Obviously, I can't keep you from doing what you feel you have to do. I hope you find your loved ones, though. But be careful! Don't get too close to those Towers!" she added.

I nodded. "Thanks. I'll try not to if I can help it. Good-bye," I muttered.

The lady got off the bus. A moment later, it started to cross the bridge.

**Carlisle's POV**

_9:10am_

Alice, Jasper and I were still standing by the living room window. Ever since Flight 175 crashed into the World Trade Center's South Tower-as Alice told us minutes before-nothing else had happened.

Jasper's voice interrupted my thoughts. "What is it now, darlin'?" he inquired.

Glancing to my left, I saw Alice leaning against him, her eyes closed and her expression blank. A second later, she opened them. "Carlisle, the girl just got on the 74 bus. She'll arrive in lower Manhattan in about thirty to forty minutes. You'll have to walk down there because you can't use your car. There are a lot of traffic jams in that area," she stated.

I quirked an eyebrow. "What if someone sees me?" I demanded.

"They won't. I just thought of something," Alice said. She went to my bedroom and came out with a bundle of black clothing. "You can put the coat on to hide your arms and neck, the gloves to hide your hands, and this wide-brimmed hat."

"Good idea. Thank you."

I quickly donned the clothes while Alice gave me some more advice.

"Stick to the alleyways. The streets are crowded so it won't be easy trying to walk through them," she warned.

"Understood. What does the girl look like?" I asked.

Alice paused and shut her eyes once more. "Mahogany-brown hair, some red on the surface, dark brown under it. It goes straight down past her shoulders. Chocolate-brown eyes, a heart-shaped face that's somewhat like Esme's, but the chin area is not as prominent as hers. She's about five foot one. Slender. Smells like strawberries and freesia. She's very pretty."

"What type of clothes are she wearing?"

"A denim jacket with a white shirt underneath, dark blue jeans, and black sneakers. She's carrying a lavendar backpack."

"Age?"

"She looks to be around sixteen or seventeen. Like she has been in high school for a while. There you are. You look good. Sort of like a young Russian Bolshevik."

I rolled my eyes at her. Even though I was nervous, I couldn't help but smile a little at her teasing. "Shut up," I snorted.

Everybody chuckled.

I picked up my keys and medical bag, just in case I would need it. "I'll be back as soon as I find her."

"Bring her home safe," Alice murmured.

"I will. Good-bye."

"See you, Carlisle," Rosalie said.

"Bye, Dad," Jasper added.

"Be careful out there!" Esme admonished.

"And make sure that the girl is a sweet one so that we can have a nice person talk to!" Emmett joked.

I nodded to them with a laugh and left my apartment. I walked down the stairs, out of the building, and onto the street. The weather was spectacular. Who would have guessed that a terrorist scheme would be conducted on a day like this? The idea of it was barbaric!

As Alice had recommended, I made my way to lower Manhattan by using various alleyways. I jogged in human speed because if I ran in vampire speed someone would notice. There was not much chance of that, however. Everyone was so distraught over the events that had just occurred that they did not look at me more than twice, if at all. I bumped into several people, and was jostled by the crowds, but I continued on.

There was a life for me to save, and I aimed to save it.

**Bella's POV**

_9:41am_

The bus had crossed the bridge and was now in the middle of a traffic jam. We had been stuck in it for the past five minutes. Perfect.

I glimpsed at the cars passing by as I looked out of the window. Nearly all of them were taxis that were also trying to get into Manhattan. Most of them had paused to a stand-still, but there were a few that sped right past as if it were an empty road.

Seeing them gave me an idea. I went up to the bus driver. "Can you please let me off here, sir?" I inquired.

The bus driver nodded and opened the door. "Sure, miss. Be careful out there!" he admonished.

"I will. Thank you, sir," I added before stepping onto the sidewalk. I strolled further up the block and hailed one of the taxis that were about to drive past me. One of them stopped almost immediately. The driver had a turban on his head.

"Drop me off five blocks from Liberty Street, please," I claimed in Arabic.

The driver was pleased and impressed. I don't think he expected me to know his language. "Yes, Missee Sahib," he smiled, sounding uncannily like Ram Dass from the 1939 version of the _A Little Princess_ movie. He started to drive again.

I noticed that everyone looked more and more frantic as we moved deeper into lower Manhattan. People were running and shouting out to others. Pointing in the direction of the World Trade Center. Fire truck and police sirens blared all over the place.

I peered closely at every single person I saw, trying to see if Mom, Charlie, or Phil were one of them, but none of them were. I kept calling them, but after a number of rings, their phones when to voicemail.

"So, Missee Sahib. Who taught you how to speak Arabic?" the driver asked curiously, in Arabic, of course.

I jumped. I wasn't expecting him to speak to me. "My mother and stepfather. They are interpreters." I responded in the same language.

The driver nodded thoughtfully. "Ahh. They taught you well. You know a great deal. Do you know any Hindustani as well? That is my other native tongue."

I jerked my head. "Oh yes. They taught me how to speak and understand Hindustani also," I replied, this time speaking Hindustani.

"Your mother and stepfather really _have_ taught you well! I am amazed of how much you know. At least you are not showing off or acting too proud. I can see that you are not."

We were only a few blocks from my destination when we were caught in another traffic holdup. Luckily, it was brief, and I reached my destination in no time. I looked at my watch. It was 9:54.

"_Choukran_," I said to the driver, getting out of the taxi after paying him.

"_âFowan_," he returned with a grin.

I shut the door and made my way to my destination.

(A/N: "Choukran" means "thank you." It is pronounced chu-KRON. "âFowan" means "You're welcome." It's really spelled that way. The small A before the F is pronounced like the main or stressed A in_ Château._)

**Carlisle's POV**

_9:54am_

I was three blocks away from lower Manhattan when I received a text message from Alice.

_The girl just got off of a taxi five blocks away from Liberty Street. You better hurry!-A_

I sent a reply. _Thank you-C_

I quickened my pace, hoping that I would find the girl soon.

**Bella's POV**

_Same time_

Because the streets were full of people bustling to and fro, it was proving difficult to get to where I needed to go. People collided into me and I was shoved from all sides.

"Excuse me," I huffed, squeezing past a few individuals.

"Watch it!" someone snapped at me.

"Sorry!" I called over my shoulder.

It took me two minutes just to get to the end of the block. I crossed the street and was faced with the same problem. But the Twin Towers, which were still pouring out smoke, loomed closer. At least I _was_ getting somewhere.

I called Mom and Charlie and Phil several more times to let them know that I was nearby, but there was still no answer. I grew even more worried. "Damn it!" I hissed.

There were three blocks to go now. Hopefully, they had left the North Tower by now and would meet me halfway. Maybe they had already gone home and were searching for me. But then, if they wanted to find me, they would have called.

Suddenly, I heard a ear-splitting CRUNCH, and the ground began to tremble.

"RUN! RUN!" a man yelled at the top of his lungs, bolting in the opposite direction of where I was headed.

Pivoting, I saw why and was immobilized by fear and dismay.

The South Tower was collapsing right before my very eyes. The earth shook more violently than ever. Smoke and debris belched out of the building as one floor smashed into another.

Holy. _Shit!_

Everyone outside raced down the street or into shops. There were screams of terror all about me. Confusion. Panic. Sobs. Disorder. And I was still unable to move. I just gazed open-mouthed at the South Tower as it continued to fall and as the ground quaked even more.

A large cluster of people galloped towards me as a thick, massive cloud of dust rolled in the air after them.

I unfroze then and dashed into the craft shop next to me to keep from being trampled by the advancing horde. I was just in time too. The dust cloud swept by, fogging up the store's windows.

"OH, MY GOD!" one of the cashiers shrieked. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

I attempted to give her a reply, but couldn't speak. Someone else answered her instead.

"The South Tower collapsed."

The cashier's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, my God!" she repeatly softly.

I sat down in a corner of the shop. I hugged my knees to my chest, taking deep breaths.

A girl placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" she queried in concern.

"No," I responded in a 'duh' voice. "And why would I be? My parents work in the North Tower! What if something happened to them when the South Tower collapsed?"

"Hopefully, nothing did. I'm sure they're fine."

I just shrugged. If I were her, I wouldn't be quite so certain.

**Carlisle's POV**

_9:56am_

I had finally arrived at my destination. Giving an unnecessary sigh of relief (for vampires did not need to breathe. Hence we could not drown or suffocate) I took my cell phone out and prepared to texting Alice. She sent a message just before I could type one letter.

_You're close to the girl; she's only three blocks down and two blocks to the right from you, still heading towards Liberty Street-A_

I thanked her and put my phone in my pocket. Liberty Street was seven blocks away. If I didn't get held up, I could cut through the two righthand streets very quickly by using the alleyways.

Of course, nothing went the way I planned. The streets were overflowing with people on the phone, talking to others, and running around, many of them searching for someone as I was.

"Have you seen this man?" one person asked another breathlessly.

"Do you know where mom is?" a girl around sixteen inquired in a dismal, pleading voice.

I was glad when it took only a couple more minutes to get through the next two streets. I was about to make my way to the girl when I received another text message.

_CARLISLE, YOU NEED TO FIND SHELTER!-A_

I frowned in bewilderment. _Certainly, Alice, but why?-C_

Just as she sent a reply, there was an exceedingly loud CRASH. Then lower Manhattan erupted in screams, and the earth rumbled. I glanced up to see the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsing. My mouth fell open in blank horror. _Oh no!_ I said to myself.

"RUN! RUN!" I heard a man bellow a few blocks away.

I didn't have to be told twice. I spun around and tried to run into the nearest store, but it proved nearly impossible to do so. If they streets were filled with chaos before, it was now pandemonium. People were scattering all over the place, making it hard to even move.

A cloud of dust and debris mushroomed from the South Tower as it continued to crumble to the ground. A group of people fled from it, but it was rapidly overtaking them. I wanted to keep looking for the girl, but it would seem strange to other people if I was caught wandering around in the smoke without coughing.

Finally, I was able to get into a small grocery market. Several others followed me inside. The cloud of dust rushed past the window, obscuring the view of the street.

"Did you see that?" a woman gasped.

"I can't believe that this is happening!" another yelled tearfully.

I stood by a crate of oranges and sent Alice a text message. _Is the girl safe? Did she find shelter?-C_

I would never forgive myself if I had failed to get to her.

My phone vibrated. _Don't worry, Carlisle. She's all right; she's in the craft store three blocks away-A_

_Good-C_ I replied, exhaling deeply. As long as the girl wasn't harmed, everything was wonderful.

**Bella's POV**

_10:05 am_

The dust cloud was thinning little by little as I huddled in the corner of the craft store. It was still too thick to see anything clearly, however, so I would have to wait a while to find my family.

The girl next to me gazed in the direction I was looking. "It's crazy, everything that's going on this morning. Those poor people. I feel so sorry for them," she murmured softly.

I didn't comment. I wished that she would be quiet. She talked too much for my liking.

Unfortunately, the girl chose this moment to speak to me. "What are you doing down here anyway, knowing what happened?" she asked.

"Looking for my parents and my stepfather. I'm trying to see if they made it out of the North Tower okay, but they won't answer my phone calls."

"They're likely just too worried to pick up the phone. If they haven't left the building yet, then they're probably too busy trying to get out."

Reflecting on that, I decided that she was almost certainly correct. If I were them, I wouldn't likely have noticed that my phone was ringing either. "Maybe they'll call me back soon," I conceded.

The girl bobbed her head. "Yeah. Maybe."

I said nothing else to her. I wasn't intending to be rude, but I wasn't in the mood for having another conversation. The girl seemed to take the hint and grew silent.

The minutes passed by sluggishly. The smoke grew less thick, and by 10:19, it was nearly gone. I began to see people filtering out of the stores across the street. Here was my chance!

I stood up and readjusted my bookbag before leaving the shop.

"Hey! Don't go back out there!" the girl yelled after me.

I ignored her and started to jog down the block. The girl said something else, but I didn't hear her. Her voice was lost in the wind.

**Carlisle's POV**

_10:18am_

Less than twenty minutes had passed since that South Tower had collapsed. The cloud of smoke that was opaque at that time had faded to almost nothing. Nearly everyone that was in the market were getting ready to go. I prepared to leave myself.

"The sooner I'm out of here, the better," one of them announced.

"I couldn't agree more," I proclaimed, causing the person to smile.

My cell phone's text message ringer sounded. I took it out of my medical bag. _The girl just left the craft shop. She running to Liberty Street right now. Move quickly, the impact site of the North Tower is growing weaker by the minute!-A_

_I'm on it!-C_

"Excuse me, please. Medical emergency," I declared, weaving my way through the crowd of people at the door.

"Ouch! Pay attention, mister! That was my foot!" a man hollered at me.

"I apologize wholeheartedly, sir."

The man stared at me as if I had lost my mind. I really needed to start talking to people in the modern English language.

Once I had exited the market, I sprinted down the block as fast as I possibly could. Since people had left their safety refuges, it was jam-packed again.

But I refused to let this hinder me. I was on an important mission.

**Bella's POV**

_10:20am_

I pelted down the once again crowded street. I was now a block away from the North Tower, and at the rate I was moving, I wasn't going to get there by tomorrow. I pushed through several individuals impatiently before crossing over to the next block.

Many people turned as I raced by them. "Why are you going _that_ way?" one of them demanded.

I didn't respond. I just kept running.

As I was about to finally cross Liberty Street, I saw that my path was obstructed by nine fire trucks and eight police cars.

I searched for a way to get around them without being noticed and found an alleyway behind me. I darted through it. Seconds later I was crossing where Liberty Street intersected with Church Street.

There was rubble everywhere, but I avoided it and ran along Church Street. I glanced at my watch. It said 10:25.

**Carlisle's POV**

_10:22am_

Two blocks away from Liberty Street, another message appeared on my phone.

_Cross through the alleyway ahead of you and go down Church Street-A_

I did as she instructed. I was getting close!

**Bella's POV**

_10:25am_

It took me less than a minute to get to the corner of Church Street and onto Vesey Street. The North Tower was further up the block. I was almost there! I wanted to cheer!

My phone rang and I stopped to answer it. "Hello?!" I panted.

"Bella?!" Mom's panicked voice drifted through the phone. FINALLY! It was about time she called me back!

"MOM! Oh, Mom, where are you?!" I yelled, pausing once more.

"Charlie, Phil and I are still in the building, but we're on the ninth floor."

"I'm down the street. I'll wait for you outside the door."

"Okay."

**Carlisle's POV**

_Same time_

_She's on Vesey Street-A_ a new message said.

_I'm halfway there!-C_

I edged up the block faster.

**Bella's POV**

_10:26am_

I started to bolt down the street again, continuing to speak to Mom.

"Are you guys okay?" I queried.

"We're perfectly fine. Are _you_ okay?" Mom demanded.

"Yes."

"Where are you now?"

"A few feet away."

"Good. We're on the fifth floor."

While she was saying this, I made a left and sprinted through the huge courtyard.

**Carlisle's POV**

_10:28am_

I was now in the middle of Vesey Street, heading towards the North Tower, which loomed overhead.

There was no sign of the girl, since debris from the South Tower was piled high between me and the North Tower. I could smell her scent, however. It was a very appealing one. Maybe a bit too appealing.

I had almost reached the spacious courtyard when I saw a lavendar backpack bobbing ahead of me, slightly to my left. There she was, at the entrance! Even from this far, I could see that she was speaking on the phone to somebody.

"Mom, I'm here now," she was saying. Her deep, lithe, melodic voice drifted back to me.

Wait a minute. _Lithe?_ _Melodic? Where was this coming from?_

And then a second catastrosphe occurred right at that moment, jerking me from my thoughts.

The North Tower started to collapse! The girl began to dash away from it when she fell. Debris pelted down towards the ground, towards her.

I jogged to the girl at half-vampire speed. Would I make it to her in time?

**Bella's POV**

_Same time_

I was panting to catch my breath, standing by the door. I was about to open it. "Mom, I'm here now," I gasped.

Suddenly, before Mom could reply, there was a deafening BOOM above me. I covered my ears, then glanced at the sky.

_THE BUILDING WAS BEGINNING TO COLLAPSE! FUCK!_

"MOM! HURRY! THE TOWER'S COLLASPING!"

"I KNOW! I KNOW! WE'RE COMING! JUST RUN!"

I turned and started to race away from the building. I had ran five paces before I tripped and fell, scraping my knee. SHIT! This was the end of me! I was now going to die because of my foolish, inopportune clumsiness! WHAT. THE. FUCK! But...at least I would die near the people I loved so much, who would surely take the trip to heaven with me. I would see them again soon.

And perhaps that wouldn't be so bad.

I grabbed my phone as the earth quaked fiercely. "MOM! DAD! PHIL! I LOVE YOU!" I bellowed, praying that they heard me.

And they did. "WE LOVE YOU TOO!" they yelled with the emotion strong in their voices.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a huge piece of granite shooting down at me.

I shouted in fright and covered my head.

This was the end!

**(A/N: The end of this chapter still makes me sad. PLEASE REVIEW! Aren't you happy that I was able to update this sooner? I managed to find a way to :D)  
**


	5. Chapter 4: A New Home & Revelations

**Carlisle's POV**

_10:29am_

I noticed that an enormous chunk of granite was about to crash down on the girl. I sprang forward and grabbed her not a second too soon; behind me, I heard the granite smash onto the ground. Without thinking twice, I darted out of the courtyard.

**Bella's POV**

_Same time_

_Continuing from last chapter..._

_Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a colossal piece of granite shooting down at me._

_I shouted in fright and covered my head._

_This was the end!_

The next thing I knew, I was off of the ground, and it felt as if I were floating in the air. For a second, I thought that the piece of granite had finished me off, but I could still hear the now ear-splitting rumble of the tower collasping. I could feel myself shaking too. Also, someone's arm was wrapped around me, carrying me bridal style. No, I wasn't dead.

I glanced up to see the most handsomest man that I had ever seen in my entire life. His skin was pale, about three to five shades paler than mine. And that was saying something because my skin itself was very pale, more than my family's and my friends'. He was looking straight ahead, so I couldn't see his eyes. His nose was somewhat long and pointed, but in an elegant way.

The man continued to run until we were inside a paint shop. How did we get away from the tower so quickly? I couldn't have made it that far if I ran my fastest.

The man sat me down in a secluded corner. "Are you all right, miss?" he demanded urgently in a soft, sweet musical voice. It sounded like an etheral, unearthly song. And it had a faint British undertone, but sounded mostly American. It was an exquisite mixture. He peered at me with honey-gold eyes. Strange. I had never seen anyone with such beautiful eyes before. They were so entrancing; I couldn't have looked away if I wanted to. I could feel my cheeks tingling and my heart skip under his intense gaze. His lips, full and rosy red, were parted in worry. I wondered if he was real, or even human. He was just too beautiful to be a human! He looked like Zeus' better-looking younger brother, or Adonis, or Cupid, or...

"Are you an angel?" I whispered in awe.

The man gave a small chuckle. "No, I am not an angel. What is your name? How old are you?" he inquired.

"Isabella Swan, but you can just call me Bella. I'm sixteen. I'll be seventeen in two days."

"Bella. It's such a pretty name. It means 'beautiful' in Italian, you know. And Happy Early Birthday to you."

"_Grazie_." (A/N: "Thank you.")

The man chortled again, this time in surprise. "Ah, _prego_! I didn't know you could speak Italian." (A/N: _Prego_ means "you're welcome.")

I smiled a little. "My mom and stepfather taught me."

Abruptly, I noticed how quiet it was. The earth wasn't trembling anymore. My vision was obscured by tears of grief and sorrow, and the man grew concerned.

"Bella? What is wrong?"

I let out a sob. "My parents...my stepfather. They were on their way out of the North Tower just when it collapsed. They were probably on the third or fourth floor, and now...and now..."

I started to weep heartbrokenly. Mom and Charlie and Phil were gone. I wasn't fast enough to save them. They were that close to escaping the tower. And now they were gone, crushed to death. My body started to shake as I began to cry harder. Why couldn't I have saved them? I had such a big chance to, and I wasted it!

The man laid his hand shoulder. I felt oddly comforted...just a little anyway. I was too sad to feel any other emotions very much.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," I heard the man murmur gently.

**Carlisle's POV**

_10:33am_ (A/N: After this, the time will not be shown.)

From the moment I gazed into the girl's eyes and asked if she was all right, I could barely find the will to stop staring at them. Her chocolate-brown doe eyes were so large and innocent. Her mahogany-brown hair, which had tiny bits of debris in them, still looked glossy. She was so beautiful, as if she were descended from one of the goddesses, like Aphrodite, Flora, Venus.

Then I mentally shook myself. I shouldn't be think of a teenager this way!

"Are you an angel?" the girl questioned, interrupting my thoughts.

I had to laugh. She was obviously as intrigued by me as I was with her. The only thing was that I wasn't allowed to be. "No, I am not an angel," I replied. "What is your name? How old are you?"

"Isabella Swan, but you can just call me Bella. I'm sixteen. I'll be seventeen in two days."

The name suited her. "Bella. It's such a pretty name. It means 'beautiful' in Italian, you know. And Happy Early Birthday to you."

"_Grazie_."

I was so shocked that I laughed again. I was not expecting her to say that. "Ah, _prego_! I didn't know you could speak Italian."

Bella grinned. "My mom and stepfather taught me."

Then she paused, as if she were listening intently to something. A second later, tears welled up in her eyes. Once more, I became worried.

"Bella, what is wrong?" I queried softly.

"My parents...my stepfather. They were on their way out of the North Tower just when it collapsed. They were probably on the third or fourth floor, and now...and now..." she faltered. I realized that she could not bear to say that her loved ones were dead. Poor girl.

Bella began to cry stormily. I was suddenly overcome by a fierce need to comfort her. I reached out to place my hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," I whispered.

We clung to each other for a long time as she continued to sob.

Finally, when she calmed down a bit, Bella drew back from me. "I'm sorry, sir. I am being impolite, and I don't even know who you are," she croaked.

I patted her shoulder. "There is no offense taken, young lady. My name is Dr. Carlisle Cullen. You can call me Carlisle, or just Dr. Cullen." I sniffed then because could smell blood and looked down at her torn jeans. "Speaking of which, I need to check your knee," I observed. It would be horrible if Jasper attacked her because he noticed how bloody it was.

I took off my leather gloves and reached into my medical bag. After slipping on a pair of vinyl gloves, I lifted her leg to inspect her knee.

It appeared to have stopped bleeding a while ago, but she could still get an infection. I cleaned her knee with an antiseptic and placed a large bandage on it.

"There we are," I announced.

Bella smiled faintly at me. My dead heart felt warmer than it should have. What was the matter with me? "Thank you, Dr. Cullen," she mumbled. "And thank you so much for saving me back there. I really do appreciate it."

"You're welcome," I grinned. I turned to look out of the shop's window. The dust cloud was gone. "Do you have family here in New York City, Bella? I could find a way to get you to them..."

She was shaking her head before I even finished my sentence, tears creeping into her eyes again. "No. My parents and stepfather were all I had until..." She stopped talking.

I bobbed my head in morose understanding. "Ah, I see. Well...I suppose you can stay with me and my family until we can figure something out. Would that be all right?"

Bella pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, trying to see if she could trust me. A moment later, she nodded. "Sure. I really don't have much of a choice."

I stood and held my hand out to Bella to help her up. As soon as her hand touched mine, electricity surged through it, causing us both to jump back. Her astonishment and confusion mirrored my own.

_What was going on today?_

**Bella's POV**

When my hand came it contact with Carlisle's, bolts of static shocked me, yanking me out of my sorrow. I could tell that he felt it too because we jumped away from other at the same time. I stared at him wide-eyed, my mouth hanging open. He looked just as alarmed as I felt at that moment.

What the _hell_?

Carlisle and I gaped at each other for a long while. Suddenly, a phone rang from his pocket, distracting us. I peered at my shoes as Carlisle answered it.

**Carlisle's POV**

_Is Bella okay, Carlisle?-A_

_Yes, Alice, Bella is fine, although she's very upset about her family-C _I didn't have to ask how she knew Bella's name. She already saw her tell me.

A response came a minute later. _I know. :( You better bring her back here as soon as possible. I saw what just happened and we need to talk. Traffic is still pretty hectic where you are, but you can catch a taxi about six blocks from where you are. Traffic isn't too bad there-A_

_Thank you for letting me_ _know. We are on our way now. Oh, and I need you to go shopping for groceries.-C_

_It's already being taken care of. Rosalie and Emmett are heading for the supermarket now. Don't worry, no one will see them-A_

_Thank them for me-C_

_I will. See you soon-A_

_Bye-C_

**Bella's POV**

When Carlisle was finish texting, he glanced at me and smiled. "That was my daughter, Alice. She was just making sure that I'm okay. I informed her that I was bringing you along with me," he stated.

I was taken aback. "You have a daughter?" I inquired.

"Yes, and I have five other children besides her. Two more daughters and three sons. All of them had just started college this year."

"Oh. You look very young to have so many kids."

Carlisle snickered lightly. "You're right; I am only twenty-nine, Bella. I adopted all of them."

I nodded pensively. "Are you married? Oh...nevermind. It's not my business."

He chuckled once more. He didn't seem offended by my questions at all. "You are unusually observant and inquisitive for someone your age. No, I am not married. I never even went on a date. I guess I haven't found the right person yet."

I was oddly happy about this without knowing or understanding why.

Carlisle waved an arm. "Let's go, Bella. My daughter's waiting. If I don't get home soon, she will throw a fit." He put his leather gloves back on.

"Is it cold out?" I asked, eyeing his clothes for the first time. He was wearing a black leather coat that hid his neck and a wide-brimmed black hat.

He turned to me. "No, it is not cold. My skin is very sensitive to the sun."

"Mmm."

"Come on."

I took Carlisle's hand so that I could stand up-thankfully I wasn't zapped again-and we left the shop. We searched for a taxi, but traffic was stalled because of what happened. People were still panicking, but not as much as before.

Carlisle and I walked six blocks to the north and found a half-clear street. He quickly hailed a cab and we sat in the back.

"Benson Street and Seventh Avenue, Upper Manhattan, please," he declared.

"Yes sir," the driver said, joining the stream of vehicles on the road.

**Carlisle's POV**

As the taxicab slowly made its way through the city, I leaned back into my seat, deep in thought.

How would my family react to meeting Bella? Would they be upset with me for bringing home a human? Jasper still struggled with his bloodlust; it was still difficult for him to even be around people. Besides that, Edward mentioned to me once that strawberry was his second-favorite scent (which was my main favorite with freesia as my second.) Mango was his first. Surely he would be able to restraint himself?

My cell phone rang with another text message from Alice. _Everything will be okay, Carlisle. Don't get a vampire headache over it. Bella and I will definitely be the best of friends. I like her already!-A_

Well, that was encouraging.

It took nearly an hour to get back home due to several traffic hold-ups. Bella and I got out of the taxi when it pulled up in front of my house. I paid the driver and we strolled to the front door. I could smell every one of my children's aromas.

_Here we go,_ I said to myself. And I opened the door.

**Bella's POV**

I followed Carlisle to what was obviously the family room, which was pretty big. There was a dark-brown coffee table and a matching cream-colored armchair, love seat, and overstuffed sofa set. The brown walls gave the place an aura of warmth.

Directly in front of me was a bookshelf filled with novels. From here, I could recognize a couple, such as _Moll Flanders_ by Daniel Defoe and _Brave New World_ by Aldous Huxley (a completely weird story, in my opinion.)

My attention shifted when Carlisle laid a hand on my back and steered me gently over to a group of people in the kitchen. All of them had the same deep gold eyes as his, and they were just as beautiful. They were all wearing designer clothes. I was surrounded by a family of supermodels!

To my left stood a man with short, curly dark-brown hair, big broad shoulders, and huge muscles. He was tall, and he seemed menacing until you peered into his eyes, which were full of fun and good humor.

Next to him was a tall, statuesque woman with wavy blonde hair, which went halfway down her back. Just staring at her made me feel inadequate and self-conscious when it came to my own looks.

Beside her, standing a few feet apart, was a bronze-haired man. He was not as muscular as the curly brown-haired guy. He was somewhat shorter, and much lankier. He gazed at me with a puzzled expression.

Holding his hand was a woman with light golden-brown hair. She was shorter than him, and although she did not appear to be more than eighteen years old, she had a motherly face and figure.

To the right, there was a man with honey-blonde hair that went down to his shoulders. His physique was as lanky as the bronze-haired man, but he was more muscular than him. Still, the curly brown-haired guy was more muscular than both. The honey blonde-haired man seemed as if he were in pain, like somebody was pinching him.

And last but not least was woman several inches shorter than me, who was next to the honey-blonde. She had short, pixie-like black hair, and was extremely slender, even more than I was, and I was pretty skinny myself. She bounced up and down as if she were excited about something. As I stared at her, she beamed at me. I found myself smiling back.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Everyone, I had someone for you to meet. This is Isabella Swan, but she likes to be called Bella. She will be staying here for a while. Bella, this is my son Emmett," he claimed, pointing to the curly brown-haired man.

"Hi there, Bella," Emmett greeted in a booming voice that made me jump. He reached out and shook my hand vigorously.

I almost jumped again. His hand was icy-cold and felt like stone or marble!

I grinned. "Hello, Emmett."

"And this is my daughter Rosalie, his wife..." Carlisle gestured to the wavy blonde-haired woman.

Did he say wife? Well, it wasn't like she was related to him, but still. It would take some time getting used to.

Rosalie smiled and grasped my hand too. Her hand was just and cold and hard as Emmett's. She had a soft voice. "Hi Bella. I'm pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you too, Rosalie."

"And this is my son Edward." Carlisle indicated the bronze-haired guy.

Edward nodded. "Hello, Bella."

I jerked my head. "Hi Edward. It's nice to meet you."

He smirked. "Same here."

Carlisle pointed to the golden-brown haired lady. "This is my daughter Esme. She is Edward's wife," he remarked.

Whoa.

Esme shook my hand gently. Her hand was freezing too. What was up with these people? Did they live in refrigerators? "Hello, Bella. It's a pleasure," she murmured.

"Hello, Esme. Same here."

"This is my son Jasper. He is Rosalie's twin brother," Carlisle added, nodding at the honey-blonde.

Like Edward, Jasper bobbed his head. "It's good to meet you, Bella," he announced in a quivering voice. He had a Southern accent.

"You too, Jasper," I said.

Carlisle gestured to the pixie-like woman. "And finally, this is my daughter Alice, who is Jasper's wife."

Wow! It seemed like everyone was paired off in this family, except Carlisle, of course. I would call him Carlisle-such a charming, magnificent name! It suited him, even if it was an old-fashioned name-but I always showed respect for people, especially adults. Except for Phil and sometimes Charlie, I didn't call an adult by their first name to their face.

Alice moved forward and embraced me tightly as if I were a long lost friend, catching me off guard. "Hi Bella! It's a pleasure to finally meet you! Carlisle told me he was bringing you over here! We're going to have so much fun together!" she exclaimed in a wind-chime voice. Oh my, she was really eager!

"Hi Alice. I'm glad to meet you as well," I stated before pulling away.

Carlisle grinned at her before turning to me. "Well, that's everybody. You can put your backpack away and take off your jacket, if you wish. The closet is to the left. The bathroom is upstairs, the first door on the landing."

I nodded. "Thank you."

I stepped over to the closet, hung my coat up, and set my backpack on the floor. Then I went to use the bathroom. Ugh. My hair was a mess. As soon as I had the chance, I would wash all of the dirt and debris out of it. Plus, I needed a shower.

After brushing my hair and clothes off, and washing my face with my hands, I returned to the living room.

Emmett, who was perched on the sofa with Rosalie, looked up and smiled widely. "Oh, there you are, Bella! You were so quiet that we almost forgot that you were here!" he remarked.

I couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think I've worn out my welcome yet, so yeah, I'm still here."

Everyone else joined me. "Oh, I like her already," Esme chortled.

I reddened.

Patting the spot next to her, Rosalie said, "Please sit."

"Thank you." I lowered myself onto the seat beside her. She began to play with my hair. Her cool but gentle fingers calmed me, so I didn't complain.

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'll be, Carlisle. You sure did save a polite, well-mannered girl!"

"I've noticed. Are you hungry, Bella? Would you like something to eat?" Carlisle queried.

He had taken off his coat, hat, and gloves by now. I saw that he had blonde hair, just like Jasper and Rosalie, except that it was a rich gold color and short. It was combed to the side so that his bangs fell over his eyes. He was wearing a black t-shirt that emphasized his muscles-which were between Emmett and Jasper's in size-and black dress pants. Damn, did he look good! He didn't look like he was twenty-nine at all! I would have thought that he was twenty-one or twenty-two.

I was taking him in so much I barely remembered to respond. "No. I'm not hungry, but thanks Dr. Cullen," I mumbled, embarrassed.

He gave a tiny grin. "Well, if you are, just let me know and I will cook something for you," he said.

I nodded. "Thank you," I repeated.

"No problem."

Alice leaned forward. "Where in New York City do you live, Bella?"

"I live in Brooklyn, but...I guess I don't anymore," I sighed. A lump rose in my throat as I thought of Mom, Charlie, and Phil. I wiped a tear that slipped from my eye.

Rosalie hugged me and before I knew it, I was weeping into her shoulder. She wasn't as comforting as Carlisle, but she made feel assuaged. Still, I secretly wished that he were holding me instead.

**Carlisle's POV**

A growl of jealousy rumbled in my chest when Rosalie wrapped her arms around Bella as she cried. I wanted to be the one consoling her, making her feel better. I wanted her to come to _me_. And I wanted to yell at Alice for making Bella cry.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Edward frowning at me with his mouth half open. Jasper was scowling at me in confusion, and so was Alice. This pulled me out of my inner monologue and I realized what had happened a second too late.

Damn. Busted.

I escaped to my bedroom and stood by the window so that I could clear my head. In the living room, I could hear Esme scolding Alice for being insensitive.

What was the matter with me? Why was I developing feelings for a sixteen going on seventeen-year-old girl? It was immorally wrong in every aspect!

A few minutes later, Edward crept into my room.

"Hi Carlisle," he murmured.

"Hello, Edward," I whispered, glancing at him before turning to the window again.

He stood next to me, studying my face intently. "Carlisle...what's going on?" he demanded, but not in an angry voice. Instead, he sounded curious and bewildered.

I took a deep breath. "I don't know, son. I really don't know. I wish that I did," I replied honestly.

Edward searched my thoughts. "Hmm."

It was silent for a while.

"So what are you going to do? About Bella, I mean?" he inquired after some time later.

"I'm not quite sure as of yet. I don't want to put her in foster care. It wouldn't be fair to her, and with these corrupt people these days...no. I could never forgive myself if I had put her in harm's way. I'll take her down to Social Services on Friday and ask for their permission to let her stay here. But Edward, I don't feel like a father to her. It's not that I do not care for her, it's just..." I could not explain my emotions. Normally, I could. It frustrated me when I could not make head or tails of them.

Edward nodded. "I understand, Carlisle. We'll think of something, don't worry. You know, it's simply strange," he stated half to himself a moment afterwards.

"What is strange?" I queried. I was not in the mood to discuss this conversation any longer.

"No, it's not that." He had read my mind and threw me a crooked smile. "It's just that, well, I can't hear Bella's thoughts. Not at all. Isn't that something?"

This revelation astounded me. "It is. Her brain must be shielded or something. You know, what also surprises me is that you and Jasper are able to control yourselves. I was afraid that one of you would slip up and attack her when we walked in the door."

"Ha ha. Yes."

"We should get back to the living room. They will be wondering what is keeping us."

Bella was still sobbing when we joined everybody again. I settled myself in my armchair and Edward sat next to Esme in the loveseat.

Alice was apologizing to Bella over and over again.

"I'm so sorry, Bella! It didn't mean to upset you. Please forgive me, I really am sorry!" she cried in distress.

Bella sniffled and gave her a watery smile. "It's okay, Alice, I know you didn't," she assured her.

Alice sighed in relief and grinned back.

I peered at her. "Don't pester her, Alice. Bella has had a long, bad day," I said sternly.

"Sorry, Carlisle," she muttered abashedly.

"It is all right."

After Bella had stopped crying, I asked, "Where did you live in Brooklyn? I could take you to your house and you could pack a few of your things. And then I'll bring you back here."

"I live on Adams Street and Twentieth Avenue. But where will I sleep?" she inquired.

"There is a spare bedroom on the top floor. You may have it."

Bella nodded. "Okay, then. I will be happy to stay with you. You are all very nice and I like it here."

Jasper sent a wave of delight through the room. And then everyone but him and I fell upon her with hugs, which made her laugh. I had to laugh too. I was elated to see her so jubilant.

"Well, Bella, welcome to the family! Now let's see. We could go to your house at 8:15, after sunset, if that is all right for you."

"Sure."

"Eight fifteen, it is then."

**Bella's POV**

Accordingly, at 8:15, Carlisle and I prepared to go to my house. I had spend the entire day getting acquainted with my new family, since their classes were cancelled and Carlisle was taking the night off. I liked everyone already. Which was saying something because I usually didn't feel comfortable with people I didn't know right away.

Throughout the morning and the afternoon, I played games with Edward, Emmett, and Jasper. Alice and Rosalie washed my hair and curled it. (Thank goodness. My hair was really filthy!) I chatted with Esme while we cooked lunch and dinner. And Carlisle showed me his library. I read a good number of the books he had before, so their titles were familiar. In fact, he owned all of the books I already possessed, so I certainly wouldn't have to pack mine.

Out of everyone, it was hard to say who I liked the best. Emmett would be the big brother I always wanted. He could be a little irritating occasionally, but he was goofy and so much fun to be around.

Alice and Rosalie were the more extroverted forms of myself. Besides that, they knew more about make-up and clothes than I did.

Esme was a lot like me, but she didn't read as much as I did. She knew a lot about fashion too.

Edward and Jasper were easily going to be my other two favorite brothers. They were fun just to hang around and do things with, like going to the movies or to the arcade. But the both of them seemed too shy to come near me. Odd.

Carlisle was...it was hard to say. He didn't seem like someone I would see as my new father figure. I guess it was because he didn't appear to be much older than I was, or any of his adopted children for that matter. I guess I could say that he would be another older brother, one who was just as quiet as me, and as much of a bookworm as I was. But then, I couldn't see him as a brother either. He wasn't like his sons; he preferred a more peaceful atmosphere, just as I did. And he was purely kind and generous. He would be someone I would read books with, confide personal secrets to, or just someone I could sit and have a talk with, like Esme. However, like Emmett, he could joke around and be silly as well. The two different sides of him were endearing.

Anyway, moving along.

Carlisle and I left the mansion and made our way to his car. It was a black Mercedes, and I could tell that he paid a hefty amount of money for it.

"I like your car," I stated.

"I am pleased that you do," Carlisle declared.

He opened the passenger door for me. I thanked him before stepping inside. Then he climbed in and we were on our way to Brooklyn.

We arrived at my house thirty-five minutes later. I packed my clothes and toiletries, what little bit of jewelry I had, the pictures of Mom, Dad, and Phil on my side-table drawer, the family's photo albums, and all of the movies. I had also procured our identity papers and other similar, important documents. Carlisle had mentioned something about Social Services, so I was going to need them. Then, with one last look around the house, and after checking to make sure I didn't forget anything, we left. I nearly bursted into tears, but I stopped myself. I didn't want no one to think I was a baby, crying all of the time. I had cried two times already.

When Carlisle and I got back to the mansion (and my new home), Alice, Esme, and Rosalie helped me to put my stuff away in my new room.

"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed, hugging each of them in turn.

After I took a much-needed shower and put on my pajamas, I said good-night to everyone.

"Good-night, Bella! See you in the morning!" Emmett yelled, wrapping me in a bear hug that almost cracked my ribs.

"If you need anything, you know where to find us," Rosalie added.

"All right. Thanks," I grinned.

The others embraced me, except Carlisle, who patted my shoulder. Then I went to my room to get ready for bed. It had been a very tiring day, and I just wanted to look at my photo albums and sob into my pillow afterwards.

There was a knock on the door. I opened it to see Carlisle.

"Sorry for disturbing you, Bella. I just wanted to check on you before you went to sleep. Is the bed comfortable enough for you? Do you require anything?" he queried in concern.

"Yes, I'm very comfortable. I don't need anything, though. Thank you, Dr. Cullen," I replied. The bed and the pillows were as soft as clouds! I just couldn't help but be comfortable! The room had an armchair-a plush, velvet medium-brown one. The drapes on the windows were medium-brown too, with gold ropes tied around them. Outside, I could see the skyscrapers of lower Manhattan. The walls were cream-colored, and both of the drawers were carved out of smooth oak and cherry wood.

Carlisle grinned. My heart and stomach fluttered simultaneously.

What the _hell_?

"You're welcome, dear. Good night. I hope you sleep well."

I returned his smile and blushed. He was just so caring. "Good night, Dr. Cullen."

"If you need anything, my children are going to be in their rooms, and I'll be in the living room."

"Okay."

Carlisle turned to go, but paused while staring hard at me. "You have very lovely, soulful eyes, Bella. I hope you do not mind me saying that," he whispered as if he was in a trance.

My cheeks were so hot that I was sure that I could boil eggs on them. "N-No, I don't mind. Thank you. I...I...I like your eyes too. I've never seen anybody else with gold eyes, but it suits you."

"Well, thank you. It pleases me to know that you like them."

Then he nodded before leaving, and I closed the door.

For an indefinite amount of time, all I could do was stand there. I was unable to believe that he said that to me. Carlisle really thought that my eyes were lovely. I found myself blushing again.

Minutes later, I grabbed my photo albums from under the bed and looked through them. Tears ran down my cheeks. I wished that my parents and Phil were with me instead of inside the pictures. My heart broke as I realized for the one millionth time that I would never see them in this life again.

After an hour, I turned off the lamp and cried myself to sleep.

**Carlisle's POV**

I could hear Bella weeping again from my old room. Part of me wanted to go to her, but Alice told me that it would be best if I didn't. She saw through her visions that Bella wanted to be left alone. I nodded, trying not to look as dejected as I felt. But of course, Jasper knew what state my emotions were in, and I was positive that Alice did as well.

"Carlisle, I wanted to speak to you anyway, remember?" she inquired.

"Yes, of course I do. How could I have forgotten?" I returned.

Alice studied me closely. "Carlisle...what do you think of Bella, other than that she has lovely eyes? How do you feel about making her a part of the family?"

I smiled, recalling Bella's own opinion on my eyes. "Well, I think that she is a very kind, polite, and beautiful girl. She has good manners and is remarkably considerate of others more than she is of herself. She is also very mature for her age. I do not feel bad about taking her in. I know you heard me explain to Edward why I didn't want to puy her in foster care."

Nodding, Alice beamed. "Yes, I heard everything you said to him. I like Bella, too. We all like her-she is everything that I saw she would be-and we want her to stay with us as much you do. After all, I told you that she was important to all of us, but especially to you."

"How is she more important to me than to the rest of you?"

Alice blinked. "Honestly, Carlisle, haven't you figured it out _yet_?"

"Figured what out?"

"Okay, apparently you haven't, so let me ask you this. What are emotions like when you think about her, or when you are around her? You told Edward that you don't feel fatherly towards her, so how do you feel?"

I reflected on that. "I feel very protective of her. When she's upset, I want to find some way for her to feel better. I feel sorry for her, since she had lost her family. Bella will grieve them for a long time, and this is going to be a rough period of time for her. It makes me happy to see her enjoying herself. She deserves to be happy. It kills me to see her so sad. But I would feel the same way for all of you if I saw you upset."

Alice steepled her fingers. "How much happier are you when she's happy than when we are? How much sadder do you feel when she is than when we are?" she asked.

"That...that is irrelevant," I stated, brought up short by these unexpected questions. I knew the answer, but until now it did not disturb me.

"You're grasping at the straws, Carlisle," she sang.

Exasperating pixie! "Why does any of this matter, Alice? Why are asking me all of these questions?" I demanded in annoyance.

Rolling her eyes, Alice stood up. "Carlisle, have you thought about everything that you just said? What you had just revealed? If you have, you would have realized it, especially when Jasper could feel how jealous you were when Rosalie hugged Bella earlier when she was crying. Or when he felt your anger towards me when I made her cry. Or when he noticed that you were sad when I told you that Bella wanted to be alone!"

"Realized _what_?"

Alice stamped her foot in irritation. "Ohhhh, Carlisle...don't you see? Don't you have any idea of why you feel or react a certain way when she's around you? Why you feel the way that you do about her? No? Well then, here's the reason. _Bella is your soul mate!_"

(A/N: I'm certain that you have noticed the major changes. I hope that you liked them. **PLEASE REVIEW!**)


	6. Chapter 5: A Sad Birthday

**Carlisle's POV**

"W-WHAT?!" I gasped, dumbstruck. "Bella is my soul mate?!"

Alice nodded simply.

I just stared at her. Esme and Rosalie gasped. Edward's mouth fell open, and Emmett raised his eyebrows in surprise. Jasper did not look amazed; he could tell from his pathokinetic ability that Bella and I were mates.

It took quite some time to find my voice. "But Alice...th-this is insane! Isn't she too young for me...?"

She held her hand up to cut me off, already knowing what I was about to say. "Yes, Carlisle, I know this is a lot to take in. And yes, Bella _is_ a bit young at the moment, but look on the bright side. She will be seventeen in two days. You can both start you relationship after we reveal what we are, and what your real age is in human years. The only thing is is that you have to keep your relationship a secret. She will understand the connection between you two, and the both of you will be very happy forever afterwards," she stated.

I buried my face in my palms. I was still reeling with this news. How could this be? I never thought that vampires could be mated to humans! Apparently, I was wrong.

"So, what do I do about Bella? I can't adopt her knowing that...that she is my mate," I remarked after a while.

Smiling, Alice declared, "You won't have to. Bella can just live here. When she goes down to Social Services, she can just apply to become an emancipated minor. Emmett, Edward and Jasper will eventually become her favorite sons. Rosalie, Esme and I will be her favorite daughters. And you will be the best friend, lover, mate, etc. to her. Trust me; I've seen it."

"That's good. I take it that I will be taking Bella to Social Services, then?" I inquired.

Alice nodded. "Yep."

I bowed my head. "So then it's settled for now. Should we tell her that we are vampires?"

She pursed her lips. "Not yet. We'll give Bella the next few days to get use to us. She already suspects that we're not like other people. And because Bella's your mate, it's safe to tell her. She deserves to know the truth about us. Until then, we'll have to act human. Which means we'll have to eat and everything."

Our faces closed in on themselves in disgust.

Esme turned to her. "When did you find out that Carlisle and Bella are soul mates?"

"Right after I saw Carlisle save Bella earlier. I already knew that she was important to our family, but somehow, something told me that she was more important to Carlisle. At first, I didn't understand why. Then, when Carlisle saved her, and looked into her eyes for the first time, I could see their future together. And then I saw how they reacted to each other. After that, I knew," Alice explained.

Everyone just sat in silence, absorbing this pieces of news.

A while later, Emmett grinned broadly. "I'm happy for you, Carlisle. I guess that it won't long before you two do the nasty. And you won't have to worry about being a cradle robber since she will be seventeen when you do."

"EMMETT!" everybody exclaimed in horror and disgust. Rosalie smacked him on the back of his head.

"Ow! I was only kidding!" Emmett groaned.

"I'm glad that you finally found someone, Carlisle. It's wonderful that you have someone to love too, Now you won't be alone anymore," Rosalie said with a smile.

Suddenly, there was a sharp intake of breath from Alice, interrupting her. "Oh, how horrible!" she whispered.

And then two piercing screams erupted from Bella's room.

**Bella's POV**

The North Tower was directly ahead of me. Smoke was billowing out of the top. I had to hurry. I needed to get to Mom, Charlie, and Phil in case the building decided to collapse like the South Tower.

I made a left at the courtyard and dashed through it.

When I was halfway across it, I saw them in the entrance. I groaned loudly in relief and waved to them. They waved back.

I had nearly reached the doorway when I heard a loud BOOM. I glanced upwards to see the tower beginning to fall.

"BELLA, RUN!" Mom hollered.

I did as she said, but it was like some force prevented me from going far or fast. It was like trying to run through a swimming pool. Meanwhile, the crumbling North Tower seemed to be getting closer. I didn't see Mom, Charlie, or Phil anywhere.

With a final CRUNCH, the building had completely fallen. The shockwave hurled me to the ground.

Once the smoke from the debris had cleared, I lifted my head out of my arms. Coughing, I turned over and stared at the rubble, the only thing left of the Tower.

_*This part is graphic. Unless you think that you can handle it, I would advise you not to read it. Look for the next bold section if you want to skip this part.*_

I noticed something red seeping through the damaged bricks. It dripped onto the ground and started to flow towards me.

As I watched, the crimson liquid rolled higher and higher, covering the sky. I tried to move away, but it splashed over me before I could get anywhere.

I was suspended by sticky red goo. I made to swim to the surface, and the thick liquid just rose higher. I could breathe, but even so, I knew I had to get out. The water smelled terrible, like rust, metal, and something dead.

While I struggled, I bumped into a solid object. I turned to see Dad's crushed face. Something else floated by, and I saw Renee and Phil, also with broken bodies.

This wasn't red water. It was blood! Their blood!

I yelled in terror. The blood pulled me deeper into it, so that I was sinking. I thrashed around more and tried to swim, but it was no use. I just went down further, sinking...sinking...and then their bodies followed and closed in on me. I tried to get away, but it was no use. Soon, they were covering me.

I bellowed again.

_*Okay. The part is over now.*_

"Bella? Bella, wake up!" a wind-chime voice yelled, shaking my shoulder.

With a gasp, I awakened in a cold sweat, trembling. Once I had settled down considerably, I looked around. For a second, I thought that I was at home. That the World Trade Center collapsing, Carlisle and the Cullens, and the dream were just a dream. That Mom, Charlie, and Phil were just fine. "Mom? Phil?" I whispered groggily.

There was silence, then, "No, Bella. They're...not here. Remember?"

I gazed at my surroundings again. Now that my eyes were adjusting to the darkness, I could see a dresser directly ahead of me. Alice was sitting to the right of me. The window on my left showed the Empire State building. I was sleeping in a feather-light bed with a wine-red blanket and pillows. Then I remembered. This was Carlisle's mansion and my new home. He had saved me, then took me in because the Twin Towers _did_ collapse, and because my parents really _were_...

I buried my face in my hands. Reality was such a bitch.

"Bella?" Alice murmured, laying a hand on my upper arm. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

I shook my head, sniffed, and turned away. I wished that Carlisle was here instead of her, but I didn't say so. It would hurt her feelings. I didn't know why I wanted him to be here with me, though.

She sighed. "Well, if you change your mind, let me know, alright?"

I just nodded. Alice squeezed my arm before leaving.

**Carlisle's POV**

Alice walked out of the room and smiled playfully at me. "Bella wants you," she whispered.

My heart felt warm again, but I ignored it. "Are you sure?" I queried anxiously.

"Of course," Jasper chuckled. "I can feel it. She's longing for you."

"Go ahead," Alice commanded, pushing me forward.

The others inclined their heads, conveying that I should do what she said.

I gulped and made my way to Bella's room. Knowing that she was my mate, why didn't they look more worried? Not that I would do anything yet, of course. Not for quite some time.

**Bella's POV**

A minute later, there was a knock on the door and it creaked open. I thought it was Alice again.

"Bella?" I heard a musical, honey-sweet voice call to me instead.

My eyes shot open. Dr. _Way_-Too-Hot-To-Trot was back. I rolled over. "Oh. Hey," I muttered shyly.

Carlisle looked deeply concerned. Even then, he looked handsome. His golden eyes shone brightly although it was dark. "Is everything all right? It sounded like you were having a rough time in here."

"No. My parents are gone. I just had a nightmare. Why would I be all right?"

His expression changed to sadness, and I felt guilty for snapping at him. "Ah. Of course. May I get you anything? Something to drink, perhaps?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"I will be right back."

He closed the door. Soon he came back with a glass of water. He sat down on the bed and held it out to me. I took it.

"Thank you," I breathed, sipping the water shakily.

Once the cup was empty, I gave it back to him and thanked him again.

Carlisle smiled. "You're welcome, Bella." He patted my back and I felt electricity rush through me again. I was exasperated by this, but I decided to ignore it this time.

"I'm sorry that I woke you up," I mumbled.

"I was not asleep. I was just in the family room with my kids."

"Oh."

He stood up. "If that will be all, I will leave you alone."

"No!" I piped up a little too quickly. I mentally shook myself. Why did I act this way around him? "Sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that. But please don't go. I don't want to be by myself. Can you just sit here until I go back to sleep?"

Carlisle nodded and grinned a little. "Of course I can."

I smiled back. "Thank you."

"No problem."

**Carlisle's POV**

Bella sounded so scared and miserable that I couldn't have denied her even if I wanted to. She laid down once more and attempted to relax. It took a while, but eventually she did.

Gradually, Bella's respiration slowed down and became more even. When she had slumped onto her pillow ten minutes later, I knew she was asleep.

I left the room, shutting the door quietly so that I wouldn't wake her back up.

Alice was smiling at me when I joined her and the others in the living room again. "Good job," she teased, giving me a thumbs-up.

"Oh, shut up," I grumbled, causing her to laugh. I sat down in my armchair. "Has anything new happened?"

"No. Not since we found out how our lives will be different now that your _soul mate_ lives with us" she responded.

"Wonderful," I remarked sarcastically. "Why do you insist on working me up?"

Jasper snorted. "Because it's interesting to see you not so calm for once, especially when Bella's name is mentioned."

Alice leaned to the side. "And what a coincidence! Hi Bella!" she exclaimed.

I turned around quickly, but no one was there. My children howled with laughter.

I glared at them. I could not believe that they had tricked me like this. Come to think of it, I should have heard her wake up. "Very funny," I snarled.

"Don't get mad at us because you fell for it," Edward snorted.

"Yeah, Carlisle," Esme chimed in.

Of course, I really wasn't that angry with them. I was mad at myself for being so gullible.

**Bella's POV**

The ring of my cell phone woke me up the next morning. I grabbed it and flipped it open. "Hello?" I grunted, rubbing my eyes.

"Bella?" I heard Gabrielle mumble on the other end.

"Yes, it's me Gabrielle," I replied.

"Oh, Bella! Are you okay? Where are you? Where did you go? I didn't know that you left school. I called your place when I got home and no one was there!" Gabrielle proclaimed, sounding more alert.

I sighed. I had forgotten where I was again. "No, I'm not home. I'm in Manhattan."

"Manhattan? What are you doing there?"

"I went to the World Trade Center to find Mom, Charlie, and Phil."

Gabrielle was silent for a moment. "Bella, why would you do that? You knew it was too dangerous to risk your life by going there! Did you find them? Are they okay?" she queried.

Tears filled my eyes. "Yes, they were there, but just as I got to the North Tower it...it collapsed. They were on their way out but...it was already too late."

"Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry! But how did you get away from the tower?"

"A man who I'm staying with-along with his family-saved me."

Gasping, Gabrielle exclaimed, "Oh, my God! A man saved you? What does he look like? You have to tell me _everything_!"

I chortled a little. "Well, I tripped and fell when the tower was collapsing. And then a huge granite brick was about to smash my head open when the man saved me. His name is Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He's twenty-nine, but he looks younger. He is too hot and handsome for his own good! He had gold eyes and gold-blonde hair. He's tall and muscular. And unlike most guys, he has a nice nose. And his lips! If I were eighteen, I would have kissed him by now. His lips are like velvety red roses! And he has the voice of a Greek God or an angel. You wouldn't believe how heavenly it sounds. He is so sweet and kind and caring. He's almost completely like me personality-wise. I like him so much. Truthfully," I whispered, pausing to listen if anyone was nearby. "I think I have a crush on him!"

**Carlisle's POV**

Unbeknownst to Bella, my children and I heard what she was telling her friend. Every word she said made me feel warmer and warmer until I felt quite human. I swore my heart nearly jolting back into beating.

"That's right, Carlisle. Blush," Emmett joked. He had clearly been watching me.

"SHUT UP!" I growled, throwing a pillow at him. It made contact with his head.

**Bella's POV**

"Wow, Bella! He sounds like a dream. I'll have to drop by to see you both sometime," Gabrielle remarked. "Are you staying there? Or are you coming home?"

"Even though I would like to go back home, I'd rather stay with the Cullens. I like it here. He and his family are very nice. I feel as if I belong with them. Besides, I couldn't stay home even if I wanted to. It would be too depressing. Plus, a child agency would have taken me to a group home anyway," I added.

Gabrielle became silent again. "Oh. I would have liked for you to stay with me, but that's okay. I understand. Maybe a new start is what you need. But I'm going to miss you, Bella."

I felt the tears coming back. "I'll miss you too, Gabrielle. Try to visit me as often as you can."

"Okay, I will. And you can visit anytime. You know that. Good-bye."

"Bye. I'll see you when I can."

I hung up the phone and wept into my pillow. It seemed as if everyone I loved before the attack was slipping away from somehow, one by one!

When I had finished crying a half an hour later, I could smell the scent of blueberry waffles wafting from the kitchen. Presently, someone knocked on the door.

"Bella? Are you awake? Breakfast is ready," Carlisle announced from the other side of the door.

My heart flip-flopped. I wasn't hungry even though I loved blueberry waffles, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings. He was too considerate to be hurt, even by something so simple. "Yes, I'm awake. I'll be out in a minute," I declared.

"Okay. Just take your time."

I threw on a lavender-colored robe and went to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth, I made my way to the kitchen. Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, and Esme were sitting at the table while Alice was standing by the stove. They glanced up as I entered.

"Hi Bella!" everyone declared, beaming at me.

"Did you sleep well for the rest of the night? Any more nightmares?" Carlisle inquired.

"No. I slept fine, thank you," I murmured with a faint smile, sitting down.

"That's good."

Alice finished cooking and laid three large waffles apiece on each plate. Then she filled three tall glasses with orange juice. "All right," she said briskly, placing the syrup pitcher in the middle of the table. "We aren't going to leave this table hungry. Eat up, everybody!"

I poured maple syrup on my waffles and took a bite. They were soft and sweet, and they melted in my mouth. "This is really good, Alice," I commented.

She smiled. "Thank you, Bella. I'm glad you like it."

As we tucked our meal, everyone talked all at once, except for me. Jasper told us that the schools and colleges in New York City would be closed for a week or so.

"That's good," Carlisle remarked. "It will be easier for some. And we can have Bella enrolled into the high school eight blocks away without too much trouble." He turned to me. "Is that okay with you?"

I nodded.

When breakfast was over, I helped Alice wash the dishes. After that, I took a shower and got dressed. I didn't want to be around anybody for the moment, so I just stayed in my room, stayed in my head. I was more of the suffer-in-silence type.

I was so lost within myself that I didn't notice time going by. I refused to eat; I had no appetite. Whenever somebody knocked on the door to tell me that lunch or dinner was ready, I buried myself deeper under the covers. After a while, everyone just left me alone all together.

Day faded into night. I left the room three times, but only to go to the bathroom. I didn't speak to anybody, and though Alice or Esme tried to hold a conversation, Carlisle told them to leave me alone. I would have to thank him for that later.

After going back to my room the third time, I tumbled into bed again. Pretty soon, I fell asleep.

And nightmares soon overtook me. Nightmares of my parents and Phil tumbling into the darkness, of the tower falling on them, their screams, their blood splashing onto me.

Just when I thought it would get worse, Carlisle shook me awake. He embraced me as I wept into his shoulder.

"Shhh," he whispered, rocking me back and forth. "It was just a dream, Bella. It will be all right."

"No, it won't! It will never be all right! Mom, Dad, and Phil are dead because of some stupid terrorist plot that had nothing to do with them. And it's so unfair. They didn't do anything to deserve this," I sobbed brokenly in rage.

Carlisle patted my back. "Of course not. If they were like you, then they were good, innocent people."

I nodded. "Yes, they were. And thank you, Dr. Cullen."

"For what, my dear?"

"For being so caring and understanding. Especially earlier, when Alice and Esme tried to make me talk to them. I wasn't it the mood."

"I could see that, and you are welcome."

I stopped crying after an hour. Carlisle held my hand while stroking it. The gentle caresses, and quiet atmosphere, sent me into a deep, dreamless slumber.

(Next day)

My birthday arrived with dark-gray and black swollen clouds, a torrent of rain, and thunderstorms. The weather matched my mood. I wouldn't have been able to stand it if it was sunny. It would be too cruel and insensitive.

Someone burst into my room without knocking, and Alice embraced me tightly. "Happy Birthday, Bella. Carlisle told everybody that it was today," she explained when I gave her an inquiring look.

My head drooped. "Oh," I murmured.

The silence was thick before Alice squeezed my arm. "Is there anything that you would like? A cake, perhaps? A trip to the movies? New clothes?"

"No," I replied, tears catching my voice. My shoulders began to shake. "I don't want any of that. I don't want anyone to spend their money on me. I just want my parents and stepfather back. That's all I want. I just want them back. Without them, it is not a happy birthday. It's just a meaningless day, and there wouldn't be any use in trying to make me happy. It would just be a waste of time and money. Please, Alice. Just let me be. I want to be by myself. I don't mean to be rude, but I just want to be alone," I wept.

Alice nodded in morose understanding and hugged me one more time. Then she left the room.

**Carlisle's POV**

The rest of the morning passed by dismally. My children had left to go shopping to buy birthday presents for Bella. I chose to stay home to look after Bella.

At the moment, I was slumped into my armchair. My head was in my hand as I listened to Bella cry. Just hearing her made me feel depressed.

My children returned from the mall with birthday presents an hour later. They glanced at me, then in the direction of Bella's bedroom.

"She still hasn't come out of her room yet?" Rosalie queried in sympathy.

"No," I mumbled. "She still won't eat anything either."

Rosalie's shoulders drooped. Esme looked just as sorry as she did. Edward's expression was gloomy, and Emmett's was not far off. Alice sighed morosely, and Jasper pursed his lips in sympathy.

"Well, we just wanted to give these to her, but I guess that she's not up to it. This wouldn't be a happy birthday for her anyway," Esme sighed. "I suppose we hold off giving her presents. We can always give them to her later."

I bobbed my head. "I agree. I think that it would be best for the moment," I whispered.

When Bella did not appear by noon, I decided to check on her. I filled a cup with orange juice before heading upstairs to her room. I knocked on the door.

"Come in," a dejected voice grumbled on the other side.

I opened it and sat down next to her. "Good afternoon, Bella."

She turned to me. "Hey, Dr. Cullen."

I held the cup out to her. "Have some juice, my dear. You need to keep yourself hydrated. And you don't have to call me Dr. Cullen anymore. You're family. Only people in the hospital call me that."

"Thanks, Carlisle," she muttered, taking it. She drank it slowly.

After the last drop was gone, she handed it back to me. I placed it on the side-table drawer. "I'm sorry that this couldn't be a better day for you, Bella. Truly, I am," I remarked.

She patted my hand. Static ran through it again, but I paid no attention to it. "Thank you, Carlisle. But don't worry about it. None of this your fault," she said quietly. Tears ran down her face and she buried it in her hands.

I pulled her to me and held her close. I desperately wished that my embrace could take away her sorrow, her pain. Her grief.

It broke my heart when I knew that it wouldn't.

(A/N: **PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! **How would you like more Bella/Carlisle bonding in the next chapter?)  



	7. Chapter 6: The Second Revelation

**Bella's POV**

When I had finally stopped crying (again), Carlisle gave me one final hug. "Let's get some food in your stomach, my dear. You haven't eaten all day, and I know that you must be famished," he stated.

Honestly enough, I was. Since I did not eat anything after yesterday's breakfast, my stomach felt especially hollow. Even if I wasn't hungry, I still would have followed him to the kitchen. Why was it so hard to refuse him?

"There's plenty of food here. If there is anything in particular you would like, I'll make it for you. Whatever you want, it's yours," Carlisle remarked as I sat down at the table.

I rested my head in my hand. "I'll...I'll just have soup, thank you," I mumbled wearily.

"Are you sure?" Carlisle inquired with a troubled expression on his face. "It is preferable that you eat something solid. You haven't eaten in over twenty-four hours."

"Okay, then. May I have spaghetti and spinach, please?"

"Certainly."

Carlisle set to work, gathering the things he needed from the refrigerators and cabinets. Soon, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of ground beef, tomato sauce, and steamed greens.

My stomach rumbled so loudly that Carlisle had to grin. "It won't be long before the meal is ready, Bella," he assured me.

I nodded mutely.

After more than an hour, the spaghetti dinner was completed. Carlisle and I had just sat down at the table when his children joined us.

Thick silence descended upon the kitchen as we ate our meal. No one tried to break it, except for when Alice asked me if I was all right. I inclined my head, but didn't speak. I didn't feel like talking much.

By the time I had finished my dinner, I was full to bursting. Carlisle gazed at me with satisfaction.

I helped Alice and Rosalie wash the dishes, then thanked Carlisle for the meal. "It was very delicious," I added.

He patted me on the shoulder. "It was nothing, my dear," he said gently.

Esme invited me to watch TV with her, but since I knew that the only thing they would mostly talk about is the terrorist attacks, I declined. I went back to my room and lost myself in a novel.

**Carlisle's POV**

(Two hours later)

I was finishing up some paperwork for my job in the living room. Alice and Jasper had retired to their bedroom, leaving me alone.

When I had completed my task, I realized that Bella had not given me the documents to bring with them to Social Services. They contained her and parents and stepfather's identity papers, their passports, and other necessary items.

I headed to Bella's room and knocked on her door.

"Who is it?" she called.

"It's Carlisle. May I speak with you for a moment, please? It's important," I claimed.

I heard her climb out of bed and approach the door. She opened it and poked her head around it. "Yes?" she murmured.

"Sorry to bother you, but can you give me the documents that you had brought with you? I will need them for tomorrow," I pointed out.

"Sure, hold on."

She closed the door and I heard her rummaging under the bed. After a minute, she opened the door once more. "Here you are," she remarked, handing me a large brown-leathered portfolio.

"Thank you, my dear. Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes, I'm a little better now."

"That's good. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask. I will have Alice check on you later, if that's fine with you."

Bella inclined her head. She had almost shut the door when she pulled it open again. "Oh, and Carlisle?" she whispered.

I turned to her. "Yes, Bella?" I questioned.

She gazed at her feet and shuffled them. "I never apologized for snapping at you the other night. I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"It is all right, my dear. I know that it was unintentional. You were just in a bad mood."

Bella grinned somewhat. "I'll talk to you later then, I guess."

I bobbed my head and she closed the door one last time. I went to the living room and skimmed through her portfolio. Everything seemed to be in order.

**Bella's POV**

The rest of the evening passed by in a cloudy, dusky blur. Before I knew it, it was ten-thirty, and I needed to get to bed. I had to wake up very early the next morning to go to Social Services.

Once I had put on my nightclothes, I turned off the lamp and climbed into bed.

Deep down inside, I really did not want to go to sleep. I was afraid of having another nightmare, and I didn't want to wake Carlisle and the others up because of them anymore.

I didn't let them know that I knew this, but dark shadows were beginning to form under their eyes. I felt guilty for depriving them of their beauty rest.

I was so uncomfortable that I tossed and turned in my bed for hours. Every time I was close to falling asleep, the sound of a vehicle cruising by woke me up again. After this happened for the seventh time, I gave up and decided to find something to think about.

I wondered what it would be like to live with Carlisle and his children. I knew that it would be very nice, of course. All of them were very compassionate, loving, and fun. We would probably find a lot of things to do together.

I knew that I would enjoy spending time with Carlisle the most. He had been there for me ever since he had saved my life when the North Tower collapsed. He was the only one who could comfort me whenever I had a nightmare. He kept the others from bothering me when I did not feel like talking. And if I was hungry, no one else-besides him-could get me to eat anything. His gentle, patient nature clicked with mine, and I supposed that this was the reason why I liked to be around him so much. I found myself looking forward to it. I just couldn't imagine not wanting to spend time with him.

At that moment, I realized that I was becoming a obsessed with Carlisle, and obsessed with his presence. I found myself desiring him to be around nearly all of the time (when I was alone and/or feeling depressed.) Carlisle didn't need to deal with a teenager who had a huge crush on him. It was bad enough that I did. He would begin to think that I was becoming to dependent on him, and he didn't need that. He shouldn't have to put up with me having nightmares and crying on him half of the time. He shouldn't have to believe that I would eat only because he made me. I needed to make myself eat, even if I wasn't hungry. I had to speak up for myself and tell people that I preferred to be alone if I didn't want to be bothered more often. I And instead of having him come to me when I had terrible dreams, I needed to send him away and deal with my own problems. I owed him that for saving my life.

And yet...

If I had refused to let Carlisle help me, would I have made an honest effort to get my sorry ass out of bed for the past two days, even if for only a little while? Would I have stopped eating altogether? I did not know. Perhaps, and perhaps not. But, if Carlisle felt that it was his duty to help me, perhaps he did not mind that I wanted his comfort very much. I saw in his eyes that he didn't. However, everything would change if he started to grow impatient with me, which could happen in nine cases out of ten. I didn't want this to ever happen, so I needed to keep my distance, although I didn't want to (deep down inside, strangely enough.) It would be for the best. I did not want things to become strained between us.

With that in mind, I turned over and gradually dozed off.

It seemed as if only seconds had passed when the alarm clock rang at six o'clock. I was extremely exhausted. I should have tried to go to sleep earlier.

I did not have time to worry about it, though. I climbed out of bed stiffly and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

After looking through my clothes, I decided to wear a white blouse, navy-blue slacks, and black shoes. I did not wear clothes like these much often, except for when I had to go somewhere important. Then I combed and brushed my hair before leaving the room again.

Carlisle was in the kitchen cooking eggs, turkey bacon, and pancakes. He turned around as I entered. His children were nowhere to be seen. They were most likely asleep.

"Good morning, Bella," he smiled genuinely.

"Good morning, Carlisle," I returned with a half-hearted grin.

"How are you?"

"Not bad. What about you?"

"Same here."

It grew quiet after that, save for the bacon crackling and sizzling in the frying pan. I stared at my hands to keep myself from looking at him.

He leaned over, catching my attention. "Are you sure that you are all right? You look very tired," he observed.

I just nodded. "I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me," I murmured.

Carlisle pursed his lips but did not say anything. He turned his attention back to the stove, his posture rigid. The silence became so thick that I could almost see it.

I squirmed uneasily. Did I make him angry and hurt his feelings? If I had, I couldn't bear it. Not at all. "I'm sorry, Carlisle," I whispered. "I didn't mean to make you upset. I really appreciate your concern for me...honest I do. But I don't want you to worry about me. It's not necessary. I'm fine, or at least I will be after a while. I just need to help myself get through my own problems."

**Carlisle's POV**

When Bella had said this, it felt as if someone had punched me in the stomach, just like when she told me not to worry about her.

She was my soul mate. She was my life. How could I not concern myself about her? Of course, I couldn't tell her that she was...not for a while. But she needed to know how important she was to me.

"Bella...the reason why I worry about you is because I care about you. As I had told you before, you are family. I will worry about you, regardless of how much you don't want me to, because that is how families work. Would I be a good father to my children if I stopped concerning myself about them whenever they wanted?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Bella shook her head. "No," she admitted with a sigh.

"Of course not. So don't worry about me worrying about you. I would rather do that than allow you to work your way through your depression all by yourself, my dear," I stated.

I stepped around the table to her side and embraced her fiercely. "I really do care for you, Bella," I mumbled.

She was still for a moment, then hugged me back. "Thank you, Carlisle. I apologize for saying what I did. But I only said it because...well...you seem so tired yourself. I know that you can't have gotten much sleep since Tuesday night, and it's all my fault. Did you know that you have shadows under your eyes?" she queried.

She was really observant. I was going to have to be careful in answering this question. She had no idea that she was treading dangerous waters. "Yes, I did notice, but it does not concern me. And don't say that it's your fault. It's not...just as it's not your fault that you're depressed. I don't mind helping you, even if I have to lose some sleep because of it. I am a doctor, Bella. There is nothing in the world that I love more than helping people, especially my family. So if you need me, or any of my children, we'll be there for you. No matter what time it is or how long. Even if it's for twenty-three hours out of the day, we'll be here for you. You can depend on us, and you can especially depend on me," I remarked, hugging her once more.

**Bella's POV**

I wanted to kiss Carlisle on the lips right then and there.

Wait a minute! What was I thinking? I couldn't do that! I would both get us both in unneeded and unnecessary trouble!

Reddening, I moved away. Being in close proximity with him was not helping matters. Plus, he was cold. Didn't these people ever absorb warmth?

As if it understood that I needed a distraction, my stomach grumbled.

Carlisle jumped up. "Oh, I'm sorry, my dear. I had almost forgotten about the food," he chuckled.

He went back to the stove and I clutched my hair with both hands, trying to pull myself together.

Breakfast was ready in five minutes. Carlisle scooped a heaping pile of scrambled eggs onto two plates, along with four strips of bacon and two pancakes. He poured some apple juice into a cup, then set it and a plate of food down in front of me and beamed. "Bon appetit," he declared.

**_Stop grinning at me, damn it!_** I wanted to tell him. Every time he did that, I could feel butterflies fluttering in my stomach. Why the hell did he have to be so damn gorgeous? Why the hell did I have to be so damn infatuated with him?

I chose to ignore it and started to eat. "Thank you," I said.

As the meal continued, Carlisle asked, "So, Bella...are you excited about today?"

I grinned. "Yes, a little. I guess I'll feel more excited when I'm at Social Services," I responded.

"Mmm," Carlisle whispered, nodding in understanding. "I suppose that I will be too."

I took a bite of my pancakes. "Carlisle? Do you ever visit your parents? You never mentioned them."

A hint of sadness flashed in his eyes. "No. My parents are gone. They have been dead for quite some time now."

I wished that I hadn't asked that. I glanced at my food. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"It is all right, my dear."

"No, it's not. I shouldn't meddle in your business."

Carlisle placed a hand on mine, and I gazed at him. "It really is okay. I don't mind if you ask me anything as long as it isn't too personal to discuss."

I nodded in reassurance.

I was chewing my eggs when I thought of something that he told me the other day.

"Uh...Carlisle?" I mumbled.

He looked up. "Yes, Bella?"

My face tingled as I inquired, "Did...Did you really mean it when you said that I have lovely, soulful eyes?"

With a smile, he nodded. "Yes, I did. I still think that you do."

All I could do was blush a third time. "No one ever complimented my eyes before."

Carlisle blinked. "Never? A boy never told you that he thought that you were pretty? Did you ever have a boyfriend?"

I shook my head. "The answer to both questions are no. I guess that we are both alike in that way. Neither of us have ever dated. But I'm sure that a lot of women have given _you_ compliments."

"_Far_ too many have."

I giggled, and he joined in on my laughter. Then he cocked his head to the side.

"It's hard to believe that you never had a boyfriend. Pretty as you are-"

_Carlisle thinks that I'm pretty?! Oh, my God! _I said to myself.

"-I would have expected you to have had at least two or three."

I rose an eyebrow. "I'm surprised that you haven't gone out with anyone either. You are a very kind and...handsome...man. You could have had a lot of girlfriends by now."

**Carlisle's POV**

_Bella said that I am kind and handsome! My...my soul mate told me that I am **kind and handsome**! _I thought in awe.

I smiled gently at her. "Thank you, Bella. I suppose that it's true that I could have had many girlfriends. But as I told you on the day that we met, I just never met a woman that I wanted to date."

Until her, that is.

She nodded pensively. "Neither have I. Most of the guys that I know are idiots."

I chortled. "Many boys your age are, I'm sorry to say. But you will find that special someone eventually. Just be patient."

If only she knew that she was talking to that particular "special someone".

"Don't worry. I am _not_ in a rush."

Bella and I had finished eating ten minutes later. We washed our dishes, then prepared to leave. Our appointment was at 8:25, and it was 7:30. However, because we would very likely get stuck in traffic, I thought that we should leave earlier.

As I put on my coat, hat and gloves, I wondered if I should reveal to Bella that my children and I are vampires after we returned home. Something inside me told me that if she did choose to do so, we could entrust her to keep our secret. Bella was not like other teenagers, most of whom tended to gossip and tell stories.

"You can tell her about us, Carlisle. She will take everything well after the initial shock wears off. I just saw it," Alice proclaimed from her bedroom.

"Thank you for letting me know this," I whispered back in a low voice.

Once Bella had put on her jacket, I grabbed the portfolio and my keys. Then we left the mansion.

**Bella's POV**

It took a while for us to get to Social Services due to the traffic. But we eventually arrived at our destination by 8:15. Carlisle checked us in and we sat down in the waiting room.

Not long afterwards, I heard a woman behind the desk call, "Dr. Carlisle Cullen and Miss Isabella Swan?"

We stood and walked over to her. She glanced at us briefly. "Mr. Sanders is ready to see you. Booth number eleven."

"Thank you," Carlisle murmured.

Booth eleven was on the far end of a large office. He knocked on its wall twice.

Mr. Sanders was a nut-brown-haired man who looked to be around thirty-five years old. He wore glasses with slender, black lens, a gray suit and a tie.

He looked up as we entered. "Good morning! You must be Dr. Cullen and Miss Swan," he remarked with a deep, pleasant voice.

We nodded and shook his hand before he gestured to a few chairs.

After we were all sitting down, Mr. Sanders began the appointment.

"So Dr. Cullen and Miss Swan, what can I do for you today?" he inquired.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Well, Mr. Sanders, I am here on behalf of Isabella. Her mother and stepfather, Phil and Renee Dwyer, and her father Charlie Swan were killed three days ago when the terrorists attacked the North Tower. Isabella told me that the building collapsed just before they could get out," he stated.

Mr. Sanders' expression turned grave and sympathetic. "I am very sorry to hear that. What a terrible loss."

Carlisle pursed his lips sadly. "Yes. And I am here-" he continued, taking my portfolio out of the briefcase he had along with another one. "-because I want permission to allow Isabella to stay with me. Her parents and stepfather were close friends, and I know that they would want me to take care of her if anything happened to them. Isabella is here to apply to become an emancipated minor. If she is approved, I will still allow her to live with me and my family, but she can purchase a house of her own if she chooses to. However, I hope that she can still live with us even if she is not approved."

What? He was neither Mom's, Charlie's, or Phil's friend! Something was up, but I kept my face blank and neutral. I didn't want Mr. Sanders to get suspicious.

Mr. Sanders gave a broad smile. "It is very considerate of you to think of taking her in. I need both of you to give me your identication and social sercurity cards. Dr. Cullen, I need a copy of your current bills and income information, as well as anything else that is required. I will also need information on her parents and stepfather. Both you and Miss Swan will also have to look through and sign some important paperwork. I have to get the necessary documents for you and I will be back in a moment. Excuse me."

He left the booth. When he returned a few minutes later, all of us went straight to work.

The next hour was spent reading a large quota of documents and putting our signatures on them. There were so many of them that I didn't think that we would ever be done with them. But after we did after what felt like years, I sighed in relief.

Mr. Sanders took the paperwork with a grin. "Thank you very much, Dr. Cullen. Miss Swan is now a member of your household until she chooses otherwise. I will call you when your documents go through, Miss Swan. It will take a couple of weeks for them to be processed. And Happy Belated Birthday. Take care and be safe, you two," he added.

Carlisle and I bid him good-bye as we shook his hand. Then we left the building.

By the time we made it back to the mansion, it was almost ten twenty. Alice, Jasper, Edward, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie were in the family room when we came in.

Alice bounced up and down. "Hi! You're back! How did it go?" she demanded eagerly.

Carlisle smiled. "It went perfectly. Bella is allowed to stay with us," he replied.

I laughed as everyone cheered and gave me a hug and a kiss. My cheek tingled when Carlisle's lips touched it. How odd.

"How does it feel to be a part of our family, my dear?" he asked.

"It feels good," I replied with a grin, embracing him and kissing his cheek in return.

Carlisle offered to fix me some hot cocoa when everything had settled down, which I accepted gratefully.

"Well, Bella, now that you live with us, I have something of dire importance to reveal you," he said after placing a steaming mug in front of me of the coffee table.

"Okay. What is it?" I inquired, watching as he sat down.

Suddenly, Carlisle looked nervous. "Er...drink your hot chocolate first. Then I will tell you," he stated, fidgeting a little.

I frowned, but nodded and did as he requested.

**Carlisle's POV**

I collected myself as Bella sipped her drink slowly. Jasper sent a wave of calm to me, and I smiled at him in thanks.

Bella was soon finished with her cocoa and gazed at me expectantly. I leaned forward, shooting a furtive glance at Alice and Edward, who nodded in encouragement.

I was about to speak when I decided not to reveal what me and me family yet. Instead, I chose a different tack.

"Bella, I have a question, and I would appreciate it if you gave me a truthful answer, please," I remarked.

She inclined her head, motioning for me to ask it.

I dug my fingers into my palms to keep them from trembling. I couldn't help but feel anxious even when I remembered that she wouldn't react badly to what I was going to tell her.

"Have you noticed anything...unusual about my children and I since I had took you in?" I asked.

Bella pursed her lips. "Yes...yes, I have," she responded.

I exhaled quietly. "All right. What have you noticed?"

"Well," she began. "I noticed that all of you have gold eyes. You have pale skin that feels very cold and hard like bricks. There are also times when you speak in an old-fashioned manner. And you are all...excuse me for saying this...so beautiful that there are times I think that none of you could possibly be human."

My children and I exchanged significant, startled glances.

I swallowed thickly, turning to Alice and Edward again. They gave me another reassuring nod.

I peered at Bella once more. "You are right to wonder if we are human, my dear."

She blinked in shock. "I am?"

"Yes...because we are not human. Not at all."

Bella stared at me long and hard, but there was not one trace of fear in her expression. "Oh. So were you lying to me when I asked you if you were an angel?" she asked in a whisper.

I shook my head. "No. I was telling you the truth. I am not an angel, and neither are my children. We are something completely different," I murmured.

"Okay. So what are you, if not angels or humans?"

Taking a deep breath, I decided to just spit it out. "I don't know how you will take this Bella-" (This was a lie, but it would unnerve her I told her that I knew how she would.) "-but when I tell you, you must promise not to tell anyone else. Otherwise, the circumstances and the consequences will not be so good for us."

Bella nodded. "You're secret is safe with me, no matter what it is. I promise," she vowed solemnly, crossing her heart and holding up her hand.

I grinned faintly and took another deep breath. "Bella...we are vampires."

**Bella's POV**

Carlisle's revelation popped through the apartment like an ear-splitting whiplash.

My jaw dropped. He and his family were vampires!

I simply gaped at Carlisle, stunned stupid.

(A/N: DUN, DUN, DUN! There goes the second revelation! **PLEASE REVIEW!** Tell me what you think of the chapter if you like.)


	8. Chapter 7: Questions & Not Quite Answers

**Bella's POV**

It took quite some time for the astonishment to wear off. When it had, I felt an odd sense of peace. I was infuriated with myself for not being afraid or even more shocked, or both.

However, it was easy to understand why I didn't feel the latter emotion. Ever since I had first met Carlisle and his family, I knew that there was something strange about them. To find out that they were vampires had confirmed my suspicions.

But, why did I not feel even the slightest bit of fear, unease, and revulsion? They could have decided to feed off of me right then and there, or when Carlisle had took me in, and no one would have found out about it.

Then again, none of them had caused me any harm, especially Carlisle. After all, he had rescued me from the collapsing tower, and he and his family had accepted me as one of them. Plus, they were all unfailingly gracious and kindhearted and loving.

Oh, this was all too much, too confusing!

"Bella?" I heard Carlisle whisper, jerking me out of my tangled thoughts. "Are you all right?"

I nodded. "Yes," I replied in a calm voice. "But there's something that I don't understand. If you are vampires, then...then why did you keep me alive?"

Carlisle smiled, as did everyone else. "It has not taken very long for that to come across your mind, has it? Well, to answer your question, my family and I feed differently from other vampires..." he replied.

"Wait, wait, excuse me. There are more of you?" I demanded in some surprise.

"Yes, there are many more of us. But most of them feed off of humans. However, my family and I drink the blood of animals because we do not want to kill people, which is why our eyes are gold. The vampires who drink human blood have red eyes," Carlisle explained.

I could tell by looking into his own that he was being truthful, and I sighed a little. "Oh. That's good. How long have all of you been vampires?"

"I have been a vampire for three hundred and thirty-eight years, give or take a few months. Jasper has been one since 1863 and Alice was turned into one in 1920. I had changed Edward into a vampire in 1918 because he was dying from Spanish Influenza, and his mother wanted me to save him. In 1921, I had changed Esme. She had tried to commit suicide by jumping off of a cliff after her baby passed away, and as a result, she had broken almost all of her bones. I changed her to spare her life, as I did with Rosalie in 1933, after a group of men attacked her and left her for dead. Finally, I changed Emmett in 1935. He had been mauled by a bear miles away from where Edward, Esme, Rosalie and I were staying at the time. Rosalie found him and begged me to save him, so I did," he concluded.

Once I had absorbed all of this information, I nodded again, pensively this time. "It was noble of you to do that for them and take in. So how old are you really?" I queried.

"Technically, I am about three hundred and sixty-one years old, but I was changed into a vampire at the age of twenty-three. So I suppose that you could say that I am twenty-three, but I have been around for an extremely long time," Carlisle chuckled.

I was right in thinking that he looked to be around twenty-one or twenty-two years old. "And the others?" I inquired, laughing with him.

"Edward and Esme are seventeen, Rosalie is eighteen. She's not really Jasper's twin, but because they look somewhat alike, we say that she is. We are not quite sure how old Alice is, since she has no memory of her human life. Jasper is nineteen and Emmett is twenty."

"I see. But why did you tell me that you were twenty-nine and that they were eighteen?"

"Over the years, we travel to different places to keep from attracting attention. We have a lawyer who helps us acquire new identities, new social sercurity cards, etc. Otherwise, people would notice that we don't age and grow old, and we would all be in trouble."

I scowled. "How come?"

Carlisle leaned forward in his seat. "There are three vampires in Italy who are known as the Volturi Kings. I had met them back in the mid-1700s. They have several laws for us, but the most important ones are that we cannot draw attention to ourselves, and that no one is supposed to know about us. Otherwise, if the Volturi finds out that anyone does know, that person and the vampire or vampires that reveal themselves to them would be killed. That is why I asked you not to tell anyone or say anything about us. You still promise not to, correct?" he queried with a worried expression on his face.

I grinned. "Of course I do. As I told you before, you secret is safe with me. Besides, nobody would believe me if I told them," I pointed out.

Edward snorted. "That is very true," he commented.

I was quiet for a moment, taking everything in again, when something was brought to my attention. "You said that you drink animal blood, but you never mentioned anything about eating human food. Are you able to do that?" I asked.

Carlisle made a sour face. "We can, but unfortunately, human food tastes like dirt to us, so we do not. Plus, we eventually throw up the food because we cannot digest it. We only ate human food for the past four days because we didn't want you to think that we were more unusual than you had already thought we were. If you want to know why we know how to cook, it is through many years of practice," he remarked.

"Oh. Well, none you don't have to eat while anymore. I don't want any of you to be uncomfortable."

Everyone beamed at me.

Their sunny smiles reminded me of something else. "And are you really sensitive to the sun? Do you burn up and die when it makes contact with your skin?"

Laughter filled the apartment. "No, my dear. In fact, come sit by the window with me. Now that you have brought the matter to our attention, I want to show you something," Carlisle said.

He stepped over to the window and perched on the floor underneath it. I sat next to him.

"This is what happens when we are exposed to the sun," he whispered. He rolled up his sleeves before opening the curtain.

The room was abruptly illuminated with a shimmering light. Carlisle's skin sparkled almost blindingly; it looked as if a zillion diamonds were implanted into it. It was no wonder that he and his children had to cover up when they had to go outside in the daytime. People would definitely notice that something was very strange about them. However, in the sunlight, Carlisle's skin was-

"Beautiful," I murmured in rapture.

"Does any of this not make you feel uneasy or disturbed?" Carlisle inquired, amazed that I was taking everything so well.

I peered into his eyes. "No," I responded earnestly. "So, what else? Do you sleep?"

"No. We don't need to sleep."

"Then why do you all have shadows-?"

"-under our eyes?"

I bobbed my head.

Carlisle sighed. "Because we have to hunt very soon. When we hold off our thirst for a long time, it begins to take a toll on our eyes. First, bruises form under them, and then our irises start to turn black," he stated.

I gazed at his again. They had darkened into a golden-brown color. "You should go hunting soon," I observed.

"Don't worry about that. We will," he said.

"Do you go to the bathroom or need to wash?"

"Ha ha. No, we do not need to do either. We don't have to wash up unless we are dirty, which does not happen very often. Our skin is impervious. I am the only person who showers regularly-in human standards-because I work in a hospital. As we do not sweat or stink (and not very often the latter), it is unnecessary. Sometimes we take baths or showers to relax ourselves, however."

"...That makes sense. Are Edward and Esme, Rosalie and Emmett, and Alice and Jasper really married?"

Carlisle blinked. "Yes, my dear...and even if they were not, they would still have been married by fate," he added.

I frowned. "What do you mean by that?" I inquired.

Unrolling his sleeves, he replied, "Edward and Esme are soul mates, like Alice and Jasper, and Rosalie and Emmett are. So, they are already bonded to each other forever. When you find your true other half, you are immediately drawn to each other from the second you lay eyes on them."

"Is that why you never had a date or didn't marry anyone? Because you haven't found your mate yet?"

The atmosphere suddenly changed, and there was an awkward silence. Everyone shifted.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "That is too personal to discuss right now."

I sensed that the matter was not as personal as he claimed. In addition to that, I felt that everyone knew something that they weren't telling me (but should.) However, he said that he couldn't tell me _right now_. Perhaps he would later, so I dropped the subject for his sake and nodded. I could wait.

"All right, then. Forget that I asked that. Is there anything else that I need to know?" I questioned.

Alice stood up. "Yes. We are incredibly fast and incredibly strong," she declared.

I smirked. "Prove it!" I commanded.

She ordered Emmett and Rosalie to get off of the sofa. Then, she lifted it up with one hand, and held it over her head. It did not fall; she was balancing it perfectly. Jasper picked up the loveseat and laid it on top of the sofa, as well as two tables and the armchair.

My eyes widened. "Whoa," I breathed.

"Oh, Bella," I heard Rosalie whisper in my ear. I turned to look at her, but as soon as I did, she vanished. When I turned back around, she was standing by the stove. I blinked, and suddenly, she was in front of me. I jumped a foot in the air, startled.

"See?" she asked with a smile.

I grinned faintly. "Yes, I see," I muttered sheepishly. "Is that it?"

Edward shook his head. "No. The other thing you have to know is that some vampires have special abilities or powers. Some, but not all. For example, Alice, Jasper, and I do. Alice has visions of the future, but they are subjective. A change of decision would lead to a different future, and a different vision. Jasper is pathokinetic; he can feel and control emotions, so to speak. And I can read minds, even over long distances, with the exception of yours. I don't know why, although I believe what Carlisle says about your mind being shielded." he implied.

I was stunned. "Really?" I queried, glanced at Carlisle, who nodded in confirmation.

"Oh, and one more thing," Emmett piped up. "We have an excellent sense of hearing and smelling. Up to five miles in hearing and a hundred in smelling. We have strong visions too. For instance, we can see some of the buildings in New Jersey."

Damn! Even I couldn't see that far! Then again, I was not a vampire.

"Am I going to be changed into a vampire?" I inquired.

Carlisle spoke up. "Only if you want to be. But I would advise you to think it over thoroughly before you make any decisions."

"I understand."

His brow furrowed. "Are you sure that we are not scaring you? Do you think that should not have told you what we were?"

Waving my hand, I assured him. "I don't mind that you did. In fact, I am pleased that you have revealed to me what you are. It doesn't scare me at all. I mean, it's not as if I had to worry about any of you hurting me."

Everybody cringed.

Dread started to build up in my abdomen for the first time. "Am I wrong?" I queried.

Carlisle sighed again and took my hands in his. Electric whizzed through them, but I was too busy listening to him to notice. "Yes, you are wrong Bella, but not entirely. You see, Jasper is still new to using our feeding habit, so he has trouble when he is in close proximity with humans. Before he joined our family in 1950, he had fed off of them. I almost didn't want to bring you here because I was afraid he would attack you. So far, he hasn't, but as it is still hard for him to be around your strawberry and freesia scent, there is an off chance that he could slip. And Edward is partial to the scent of strawberries, which is why he doesn't want to be around you so much, in fear of harming you or worse," he murmured.

I gazed at Edward and Jasper in horror and sympathy. "Why didn't you say something about this before? I don't want either of you to suffer or mess up your diet because of me!" I exclaimed.

Admiration and alarm lit up their faces, as well as the others.

Esme chuckled in surprise. "Oh, Bella, what are we going to do with you? When you should be concerned about your safety, you are more worried about them ruining their diet and going through personal agony?" she demanded in amusement.

"Yes, but it's because I know that you all must have worked hard to keep up your diet, especially when you don't want to murder anybody," I remarked.

"That is true. But if I were you, I would spare half of your concern for myself," Esme proclaimed.

Edward grinned at me. "Besides, Jasper and I are getting use to your scent. It will not be long until it does not bother us any longer."

I smiled back. "I hope so. I don't want to be drained!" I declared.

We all laughed and started hugging each other all over again.

**Carlisle's POV**

I felt completely amazed that she was not afraid of me and my children in spite of what we were. Even after I had revealed to her that we were vampires, her reaction was not what we had expected it to be. Had I known that she would honestly have not been frightened of us, and that she would accept what we were (without question, I might add, which all the more shocked me), it would have saved me some anxiety.

However, she had no reason to be. As she had pointed out, we kept her alive. Moreover, I had saved her life, and took her in when she had nowhere else to go.

How was it that I would be blessed with such a gracious, reflective, pure being for a soul mate?

After embracing Bella, I moved away. "We ought to celebrate your induction to the family. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch and dinner, my dear? I will cook both meals for you, and we can have a small party," I stated.

Squealing, Alice jumped up and down. "Ooh! A party! I'll get the music right away!" she claimed. She left the room to get her CDs.

Rosalie turned to me. "I'll be right back. I have to get something."

She shot a meaningful glance at Esme, who brightened and nodded. "So do I. It will only take a second."

Then they ghosted out of the room.

Bella fidgeted. "This isn't really necessary. I don't need anyone to throw a party for me," she complained.

"Don't be silly, my dear. We have every reason to throw one. It has been a long time since we had a new addition to the family. Why shouldn't we celebrate?" I questioned.

"But I don't like parties very much," Bella said.

"What?!" Alice exclaimed, appearing suddenly. "You don't like parties!? How could you not like them?"

Bella grimaced. "They're too noisy for me. A party will just get on my nerves."

Alice shook her head in mortification. "Oh, Bella. Do you know how to have fun?"

"If I try to have fun, I would most likely injure myself. I'm too clumsy to have too much fun!"

"Bella, what _are_ we going to do with you?" Alice groaned.

I raised my hands. "That's enough, Alice. Bella, if it gets too loud for you, I'll turn the music down. This is mainly your party. You should relax and enjoy yourself. What is your favorite lunch? You have to be hungry. You haven't eaten since six o'clock this morning. It's after twelve now," I observed.

Calming down, Bella crossed her arms and thought about it. "Well, that's a tough one. I suppose that my favorite thing to eat for lunch is tuna fish sandwiches with toasted white bread and tomato soup," she whispered, more to herself than me.

"That's sounds very tasty, even though I can't eat human food. I'll have it ready for you shortly."

I had just poured the tomato soup into a pot when the others returned. Esme and Rosalie were carrying Bella's birthday presents.

They held them out to her. "We wanted to give these to you yesterday, but you weren't in the mood," Esme stated.

Bella frowned. "You didn't have to give me anything for my birthday. I don't want any of you to spend your money on me," she protested.

"You don't have to be so selfless all of the time, Bella," Rosalie commented sternly. "These are _presents_, not a charity case. Here...open them."

Bella hesitated as she took the brightly-colored packages.

"Go ahead. Open them," she repeated.

After she did, her mood lightened considerably. She smiled as she unwrapped a radio/CD player from Emmett, a laptop ("Now, you really shouldn't have bought this!" she gasped.) along with its power cord from Rosalie, a digital camera from Edward, and a personal stationery and a box of designer clothes from Esme.

She thanked them kindly before taking her gifts to her room.

It was not long before her lunch was prepared. I laid the food down on the coffee table in front of her.

"Thank you," she grinned. My heart grew warm again. I wished that it would stop doing that. It was beginning to get a little unsettling.

Once she had finished eating, the party started. There was singing, dancing, and a ton of laughter. Bella did not participate in the dancing or singing, even when the others begged her to.

"I can't sing. I sound like a chicken getting run over by a car!" she said with a scowl.

"Can you dance, at least?" Jasper inquired.

"Sure, but only if you want to take me to the hospital afterwards," Bella retorted.

I covered my mouth to hide my snickers. "Leave her alone, Jasper. If she doesn't want to dance or sing, she doesn't have to."

Rolling her eyes at me, Rosalie muttered, "Carlisle, you are going to spoil Bella rotten."

I shrugged. "Someone has to do it. It might as well be me."

Then I leaned down to whisper in Bella's ear, "I will almost always let you have your way and give you anything you want. Even if it is the jewels of Christendom."

She giggled. "You don't have to do that."

"Oh, but I want to. You are a very nice young lady, and you deserve to have nice things."

Shaking her head and chuckling, Bella murmured, "Thank you...I guess."

**Bella's POV**

The party lasted until five o'clock in the afternoon. I was sure that it would have lasted longer, the way Alice was running was it. However, when a headache started to form near my right temple, Carlisle put a stop to the festivities. He went to the kitchen and came back with two Aleve pills and a glass of water.

"Here, Bella, take these. It will make you feel better soon," he remarked.

"Thank you," I smiled.

After I had drank all of the water, I found myself resting my head on Carlisle's shoulder. Mmm, his scent so masculine. He smelled of musk cologne and pine forests. Sweet and soft, yet sharp. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and inhaling his aroma.

Carlisle shifted and I felt him wrap his arm around me. I felt extremely comfortable.

"Aww," everyone cooed.

I felt somewhat annoyed and embarrassed. "Shut up," Carlisle and I grunted at the same time. We shared a laugh.

As the minutes passed, I slowly became tired. His scent was making me drowsy.

I stood. "I'm going to take a nap, so I guess I'll see you guys later," I mumbled, hugging everyone.

"Okay," Edward said.

"Have a good nap," Esme grinned.

"Sweet dreams, my dear," Carlisle added, kissing my forehead.

"Good night, Bella," Alice stated.

Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper nodded to me.

I was almost out of the room when I thought of something that I hadn't before. I turned around.

"Hey, Alice, didn't Edward say that you have visions of the future?" I questioned.

Alice inclined her head. "Yes, why?" she queried.

"Because I was wondering...is that how you knew that I was...?"

"Going to find your parents and stepfather at the North Tower? Of course."

I was bewildered. "There were millions of people who were looking for their family or friends that day. Why were your visions so centered on me?"

Everybody exchanged significant glances.

"Well," Alice began. "I wasn't quite sure until I realized that you were important to our family. That's why I sent Carlisle to find you."

"But how am I important to our family?" I asked.

Everyone glanced at each other once more.

Alice just shrugged. "I don't know, but I guess we'll find out soon."

She was lying to me. I could sense it; something was lurking behind her evasive response. On top of that, the expressions on the others' faces seemed too placid, too suspicious. But I let it go.

"Okay. So if you had the vision, then why did you send Carlisle to find me instead of finding me yourself?" I inquired.

More pointed glances were exchanged. All right, something was most definitely going on. They have done that three times too many.

"Because he's a doctor. If you had gotten hurt during your search, he would have been able to take care of you better than I could," Alice replied.

There was more to that answer, I felt. However, she was right about Carlisle being able to help me if I had gotten hurt. Why couldn't anyone just tell me the honest truth? Just because I was barely seventeen years old did not mean that I was too young to know, or too young to understand it if they told me.

However, to keep everyone from believing that I was thinking about this too much, I grinned. "Oh. That makes sense. Good night," I added.

They bobbed their heads. "Good night, Bella," they claimed.

I went to my room, shut the door, and laid down. Suddenly, I didn't feel so sleepy anymore, despite the fact that I barely gotten any sleep last night and was up all day.

The wheels in my brain were spinning vigorously as I thought of all of the information I had absorbed that day. All of the mostly-unanswered questions. The secrets that I felt that Alice, Carlisle, and the others were keeping from me.

The only thing I could wonder was why were they keeping them from me? What is something I wasn't supposed to know?

Or was it something that I _should_?

_"That is too personal to discuss right now_,_"_ I remembered Carlisle saying when I asked him if he had a soul mate.

But why was it? When I had asked him if he was married the first time I had met him, for example, he gave me a straight answer: _"No, I am not married. I never even went on a date. I guess I haven't found the right person yet."_

And yet, when I had asked Carlisle if he never did because he had never found his mate, he became elusive.

If my suspicions were correct, then he was hiding something from me. Perhaps he had found his mate and did not want to tell me.

And if he had, then who was it? The idea of Carlisle having been bound to someone I did not know made me feel sick to my stomach, jealous, and enraged. I couldn't understand why, though.

Furthermore...when I had asked Alice why I was so important to our family, and why she had sent Carlisle to find me, I could tell that she had a partial reply to my question. Or refused to to give one...

My thoughts were interrupted by someone knocking on my door. I opened it; speak of the devil...or vampire...Carlisle was there.

"Bella, may I talk to you? I promise that I will not be long," he added.

"Of course you may. What's up?" I inquired.

He shuffled his feet. "I...I wanted to ask you if you would care to have dinner with me tomorrow. Not in a public place, but here. We can just talk and get to know each other a little more while you eat. If you don't want to, I understand. I know that I am being forward in asking you this."

All I could do was smile at first! He was such a gentleman! And it sounded as if he was kind of asking me out on a private date. But if he was, I didn't care! I knew that he was 23, and that I was 17, but it didn't matter to me! Age was just a number. Besides, Carlisle was so good-looking and sweet that I don't understand why I wouldn't want to have dinner with him.

I nodded. "No, it's okay. I would love to have dinner with you, Carlisle. I would love to get to know you more too."

He beamed. "All right. I shall be looking forward to it. Is there anything in particular that you would like me to make?"

"Just surprise me. I'm sure that I will like whatever you cook for me."

"I certainly will. I'll let you take your nap. See you later."

He waved and disappeared. I just stood there, fighting the urge to squeal in joyful excitement.

My head sure wasn't hurting now!

(A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW! **So how do you think their dinner will go? Do I hear "yes" to even an accidental first kiss? Let me know!)


	9. Chapter 8: Dinner and Kisses

**Carlisle's POV**

Alice was gazing at me with a troubled expression when I returned to the living room. I knew that something was wrong, so I queried, "Yes? What is it?"

"Bella is closer to finding out that you are her mate than she should at the moment. We need to be careful," she warned.

I frowned. "How? We never hinted that she was," I pointed out.

She nodded solemnly. "Yes we did, but not intentionally. She already thinks that it's strange that I sent you to save her without deciding to go myself. She was already suspicious when you said that the matter was personal where discussing if you had a mate was concerned. And when I told her that I sent you because you were a doctor, and that you could tend to her if she had gotten hurt, she knew that I wasn't being entirely truthful. And she could tell that I was lying when I pretended not to know why she was important to our family. She knows that we are keeping something from her."

Jasper agreed with her. "If Bella doesn't piece this together from the information that you two gave her, or didn't give her, she will in another way."

"And what way is that?"

"You heard her when she told her friend Gabrielle that she thought that she had a crush on you. But now, she is beginning to realize that she is infatuated with you. Bella is really drawn to you, Carlisle, and she craves your presence to the point where she is addicted to it. And that's saying something, considering the fact that she has only known you for four days. In addition to that, I have fed off quite a large amount of bewilderment from her when she is around you."

Alice broke into the conversation once more. "Yes. I had also seen that Bella realizes that she would do anything to oblige you. Plus, she realizes that if she refused to do anything for anyone else, she would do it for you if you asked her to. However, she plans to put all of this to a stop and help herself more often, or let one of us help her, though she is willing to let you assist her at times. Bella does not want you to think that she is too reliant on you, for fear that you will push her away or become distant from her, especially if she thinks that you know that she is infatuated with you."

I scowled in disbelief. "But I would never-!" I began.

She held up her hand. "Yes, we know that, Carlisle. The fact is, however, that Bella does not. And you can see where she is coming from. She is very intelligent for her age, as we all know. She knows what could happen if she let herself get carried away by her feelings, and threw herself upon you because of them. Moreover, she doesn't want you to get into trouble, and I can't blame her. If someone thought that you were close to her in an inappropriate way, you would be in trouble. And Bella doesn't want that because she really cares for you," she remarked.

"...I understand. Still, if she does found out, it won't matter, even though I do not want her to quite yet. She is old enough and mature enough to know that she is, after all."

Alice nodded. "That's true. She _is_ over the age of sixteen."

That was the end of the discussion.

No one did very much for the next few hours. I started to read a medical journal, sometimes drifting out of focus when I was lost in thought.

When night fell, I put on a light jacket and grabbed my keys.

"Where are you going?" Esme asked in curiosity.

"Nowhere of importance. I'll be back soon," I replied before shutting the door. There was something I wanted to do, but didn't tell anyone, though Alice and Edward knew. I left the house and stepped into my Mercedes.

**Bella's POV**

I woke up early the next morning. I sat up and yawned, feeling well rested. I was astounded that I haven't had a nightmare for two nights in a row. I hoped that they would stay away.

It was quiet. For a second I thought that everyone may have been asleep, but then I remembered everything they had told me the day before.

I was about to climb out of bed when I spotted something on the side-table drawer on my right. On four green stems were orange and yellow bells shaped like flowers. I shook them, and the sound of aerial chimes filled the room, making me smile.

A book, called _Emily of New Moon_ that was tied with a stripped orange and yellow ribbon, laid next to it. I had never read it before, but it had to be good. After all, it was written by L.M. Montgomery.

There was also a dish of Jolly Ranger and chocolate caramel Creme Saver candies, which was placed closer to the bed. Finally, there were a dozen medium-sized glass sculptures of beautiful, sparkling ducks and swans. There was no note saying who gave me these gifts, but somehow, I already knew.

"Carlisle?" I called in a low, soft voice.

There was a knock on the door before Carlisle entered the room. Such a gentleman; he really didn't have to do that. It wasn't as if I didn't know he was coming.

"Yes?" he inquired.

I went over to him and gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you," I whispered. I didn't want to say that it was unnecessary to give me the gifts. That would hurt his feelings.

**Carlisle's POV**

My cheek felt both hot and tingly when Bella kissed it. Even when she moved away, the sensation remained, unnerving me. Thank goodness that I could not blush!

"You are welcome, Bella. But how did you know that I was the one who put the flowers and the book and the candy there?" I inquired.

Bella nodded, considering this. "I don't know how I knew it was you. I just did. Well, thank you again, for everything. They are all very nice gifts, Carlisle. I really like them. You are so sweet." She embraced me once more. "But you know that you don't have to-"

"I am pleased that you like them, Bella. I never had the chance to buy you any presents for your birthday. I wanted to make up for it. And don't worry about anyone giving you anything. It is no trouble at all, my dear."

I was still grateful that I could not blush. She thought that I was sweet! I knew that it was silly to feel so elated over a mild compliment, but I just couldn't help myself.

**Bella's POV**

After a moment, Carlisle planted a kiss on my forehead and backed away.

I did the same. "Well...I'm going to get dressed. I'll see you guys in a bit," I added.

Carlisle bobbed his head and grinned, then left the room.

Within a half an hour, I had taken a shower and put on some clothes. I went to the kitchen to see Carlisle making breakfast.

"You don't have to cook for me, you know," I declared in a polite voice.

He waved his hand. "It's no trouble at all, sweetie. You may sit down and relax," he assured me.

"No really, I appreciate everything you're doing for me. Don't get me wrong. But I'm used to making food for everyone else including myself," I grunted, walking over to him.

"Hold on. What do you mean?" he demanded in a puzzled voice, laying a hand on my arm to stop me.

"I mean that when I...I lived with my mother and stepfather and visited my dad, I cooked all of the meals unless we ordered out. Besides that, I paid the bills, did the laundry, took care of the bookkeeping, and cleaned the house."

"Damn!" I heard Alice exclaim from living room. "It's no wonder that you don't know how to have fun! How long has that been going on?"

"Watch your mouth, please," Carlisle admonished.

I glanced at her. "Since I was ten or eleven," I responded.

Carlisle frowned. "Did they make you do all of this?"

I shook my head. "No. Mom and Dad didn't know how to cook. My stepdad Phil knew how to a little, but not much. He only knew how to cook "fast food." Mom and Phil were always busy with the work that they brought home anyway, so they didn't have much time to tend to the house. And Dad was occupied too, with all of the paperwork that he used to receive." I tried to take the skillet from him, but he held it above my head. I kept jumping to reach it, which made him laugh. "Come on! Give me the skillet. Please?"

Carlisle stuck his tongue out at me. "Nope! Sorry! Come here, you stubborn thing, before you accidentally burn yourself," he murmured affectionately, placing the skillet back on the stove. He lifted me up and plopped me down onto a chair at the table. "We'll take care of everything. All we want is for you to relax, have fun, and be a teenager."

"But I hardly know how to be a teenager! And besides, how will I earn my keep?" I protested.

He smirked at me. "We'll worry about that later. And I'm sure that the others, especially Emmett, can show you how to be a teenager."

I relented. I just couldn't refuse him or argue with him, no matter how much I wanted to. "All right. I'll do it if you would like me to."

Carlisle pecked me on the cheek and returned to the stove. I almost wished that he wouldn't give me kisses. My skin would burn and prickle where his lips touched it every time he did, which was odd, because his skin was cold. Truthfully, however, I didn't mind it at all.

Not long afterwards, a plate of scrapple with an omelet, and a cup of grape juice, was laid in front of me. A lump rose in my throat, and tears filled my eyes.

"Bella, what's the matter?" Jasper queried. He obviously smelled them (my tears.)

I wiped my eyes. "Nothing," I replied in a thick voice. I hurriedly took a bite of my food.

"Something is wrong. Why don't you tell us what it is?" Carlisle asked in a soft whisper, rubbing my back.

"It's nothing. Scrapple and omelets just remind me of Mom. It was her favorite breakfast," I sniffed.

"Oh, I see. If you would like to eat something else, I'll be more than happy to-"

I held up my hands. "No, no! It's okay, I don't mind having this for breakfast. I just felt a little sad for a moment, that's all. I'm fine."

To prove my point, I continued to eat the meal, although it was with a heavy heart. He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but decided not to. Everyone else glanced at me in sympathy.

When the last bit of my omelet was gone, Carlisle took my plate and silverware. "I'll wash these for you, Bella. You may do whatever you like," he remarked with a gentle smile.

"I'll help you," I offered, standing up.

"That's all right, Bella, but it won't take long for me to clean up. Go and have some fun," he insisted.

"But-" I tried to protest. And he says that I'm stubborn. Rosalie was right. He was going to spoil me rotten, I thought to myself.

Alice stepped into the kitchen and took my hand in hers. "Come on, Bella. We'll find something to do," she said, leading me into the living room. "Do you want to watch TV?"

I shook my head. "No," I grumbled, knowing that the only thing that would be discussed or shown was the terrorist attacks. I didn't even want to think about it right then.

"We don't have to specifically watch TV. We have movies, you know. Here...pick a few," Alice requested.

"Okay," I whispered with a sigh as she pulled me down in front of the entertainment center.

There were many movies to choose from. After much consideration, I pulled out _Rush Hour_, _Carrie_, and _Shakespeare in Love_. Carlisle joined us before Alice could even turn the DVD on.

Just as _Rush Hour_ was starting, Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie came in the room, and they decided to watch the movie with us.

Alice, Jasper, Edward and Esme sat on the couch. Emmett and Rosalie settled themselves on the loveseat. I perched on the floor in front of Rosalie, where I could see the TV better. And as usual, Carlisle relaxed in his armchair.

It was then that I was hit with a sudden thought. Carlisle had to be the most loneliest person in the family. All of his children had found their soul mates, but he himself did not have one after all these years-as far as I knew. Of course, I was still unsure about it because he didn't really answer my question when I asked if he hadn't found his. I hated to see him all by himself. Before I knew what I was doing, I was sitting down before him instead, leaning my head against his knees.

Carlisle stroked my hair, then picked me up and set me on his lap.

I snuggled into him. The floor wasn't very comfortable anyway. "Aren't you irritated by me yet?" I was compelled to inquire.

"No, of course I'm not. Whatever gave you that notion?" he chuckled.

"We seem to hang around each other a lot. I'm sure that you don't want to be bothered by a pesky teenager."

He rose an eyebrow. "Do you really think that you're pesky?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But I'm sure that you must think that I am."

"I don't think that you are the least bit pesky. Just very selfless and stubborn at times, but in a good way."

"Oh." I sighed to myself in relief. I was glad that he didn't find me irritating.

Carlisle tucked my head under his chin. "What did you come over here for, if you don't mind me asking?"

I pursed my lips. "You just...appeared lonely to me, I guess," I mumbled, embarrassed by that admission.

"And I thought that _I_ was the sweet one..."

I blushed. "Shut up."

Carlisle laughed and kissed the top of my hair. "Thank you for deciding to keep me company. I _was_ a little lonely."

"Shhhh! Be quiet!" Emmett hissed.

I turned and blew a raspberry at him.

"GRRRR!" Emmett growled mockingly, standing up and hurling a pillow at me.

Carlisle deflected it. "Enough of that. Pick up the pillow, sit down, and watch the movie, please."

Pretending to glare at me, Emmett muttered, "You're lucky that Carlisle blocked the pillow for you."

"Don't get mad at me because he bossed you," I snorted.

Everyone laughed.

**Carlisle's POV**

How could Bella tell that I felt lonely? Did I make it obvious that I was? Or was it because she noticed that I was sitting all by myself, when Edward and the others were sitting with their mates, and pitied me because she believed that I didn't have one? Well, it wasn't as if she knew that she was my mate. Still, I didn't want her to feel sorry for me, even though I thought that it was very endearing that she did.

**Bella's POV**

For the next several hours, we continued to watch the movies I had picked out, plus another two that Alice chose to see. By the time they were over, the sun had set. The sky was orange-yellow and pink.

I climbed off of Carlisle's lap, regretting it instantly because I was so comfortable, and made my way to the kitchen. I was hungry and wanted some ice cream. However, when I peeked inside the freezer, I saw that there wasn't any.

I grabbed some money from my purse before going back to the living room. "Is there a store nearby? I wanted to buy some ice cream," I stated.

"There is a grocery market around the corner and down the street from here. But I can buy the ice cream for you. I need to go there anyway. I have to get the food for your dinner," he explained.

"Oh. Okay...if you say so. I guess that I'll put my money away. I would join you, but I told you to surprise me with whatever you are going to cook for me."

He nodded in understanding. "What kind of ice cream would you like me to get for you?"

"Egg nog, please. May I have chocolate and cookies and cream too...please?"

With a smile, he responded, "Yes, of course. I told you before that I will be the one to spoil you and give you anything you want."

I rolled my eyes at his teasing.

Carlisle picked up his keys. "I'll be back soon. Would you like me to get anything else for you?"

"Just some fruit, please. Apples, oranges, and green grapes. Baby carrots would be nice too, I suppose. Let me know when you're finished cooking dinner. I'm going be in my room."

"I will."

The others stood up.

"We are leaving with you, Dad," Jasper stated. "We will be going on an all-night hunt. Plus, Alice and Edward told us that you and Bella deserve some alone time."

He inclined his head. "Be careful, then, and look out for each other. Don't talk to any stray vampires that you don't know," he joked, wagging his finger.

We snickered.

Carlisle and the others hugged and kissed me before leaving. I went to my bedroom and started to read _Emily of New Moon._

The house was very quiet for a while. Some time later, I heard the front door opening.

"Bella! I'm back from the market!" Carlisle's voice drifted up to me.

"Okay!" I yelled.

"Are you all right? Do you need anything?"

"Yes, I'm fine and no, I don't need anything right this minute."

"Well, I am in the kitchen if you do."

"I'll keep that in mind."

He did not reply to that or say another word. I continued to read my book.

Gradually, the aroma of whatever Carlisle was making for dinner filled the mansion. I sniffed the air with interest; it smelled like he was cooking lamb chops, buttered noddles and vegetables. My mouth watered and my stomach growled.

I had just reached the part where Emily had been acquainted with her mother's side of the family when Carlisle called me. I bookmarked the page that I left off at, then ran downstairs.

As I entered the kitchen, the first thing that I noticed was a steaming plate of food on the table. It was the same food that I had smelled earlier.

Carlisle beamed at me. "Hello again. I can imagine that you are hungry."

I grinned. "Yes, I am," I remarked fervently.

"Excellent. Why don't you have a seat, and we can began our dinner. Well...you can start on _yours,_" he pointed out.

We chortled as I sat down. He perched on the chair that was opposite me.

I took a bite of my food. "Mmmm. Everything tastes delicious."

"Thank you."

Neither of us spoke as I dug into my meal. Several moments later, he cleared his throat.

"Bella, you never actually told me what you like to do for enjoyment. Other than reading, that is. Why don't you tell me?"

"There's not much that I like to do, and my pastimes would hardly be considered "enjoyment" to some people. Besides reading, I love to write and go to an arcade or the movies."

He quirked an eyebrow in interest. "Ohhhhh. What do you write?"

"Poems, but mostly stories. I'm better at writing those, I guess. Stories, I mean."

Carlisle nodded slowly. "And what do you like to write about?"

"Just about everything."

"Do you have any copies of your work?"

"Yes, in my closet. I haven't written any stories for months, though. Perhaps I can show you the ones that I have sometime?"

"Of course. I would truly like that."

The rest of the meal passed by quickly. We talked about lighthearted subjects as I ate. After my dishes were washed, he made me a bowl of egg nog ice cream. Then we headed to the family room.

Carlisle turned on the radio before joining me on the sofa. I leaned into him, and he wrapped an arm around me.

Neither of us talked. We just listened to the soft classical music that was playing. I quietly ate my ice cream.

He sighed after a while, and I turned to him. "This is very nice," he murmured.

I inclined my head in agreement. "Yes, it is. It's one of the best evenings that I've had in a long time," I added.

"Same here. I enjoy spending time with you, Bella. I really do...I want you to know that."

"Thank you for telling me. The last thing that I would to do is be an exasperating nuisance. And I really like spending time with you too."

He peered deeply into my eyes. I was unable to look away. But I didn't want to either. Something about his own eyes made me desire to keep staring at them.

"You could never be a nuisance, and you can never be exasperating," he whispered.

My face burned as a tiny smile spread across it. He laid a palm on my cheek and stroked it with his thumb.

"Isabella..."

Usually, I hated it when a person called me by my full name-it almost always meant that I was in trouble-but I found myself loving it when he did...

"...you have no idea how gorgeous you are when you blush," he concluded.

Then, before I knew what had happened, his lips were on mine.

Oh, my God...Carlisle was..._kissing_ me! Electricity surged through my mouth. His lips felt so...so perfect...!

I only had time to widened my eyes in shock when he backed away with a gasp.

**Carlisle's** **POV**

What did I do?! What did I just do?!

I...I _kissed_ Bella! I _kissed_ her!

I did not understand how I allowed this to happen. Why didn't I stop myself?

However, she was my soul mate. It was only natural that I would desire to kiss her, but I had not wanted to so soon. I wanted to get to know her a bit more.

Yet it did not feel wrong to kiss her at all. I actually liked her lips on mine. They felt so right.

My thoughts were interrupted when Bella shifted. Her expression was a mixture of astonishment and confusion. I knew that I had best explain my actions.

"Bella, I am sorry. I had lost temporary control of myself. I promise that I will not do it again..." I stated.

I was going to end by saying "unless you want me to," but she raised her hand.

"Carlisle, you don't have to apologize for kissing me. To be honest, I...I liked it. I really did. But why did you do that? Do you have feelings for me or something?" she inquired.

I did not respond. I was not certain if this was an appropriate time to reveal that I did at the present time.

Should I be honest with her...or give her the truth later?

(A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW!** How did you like the chapter, especially the ending? What are your opinions on what Carlisle should do?)


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